TX Apparently Has A State Emergency Manager; He's Bringing His "Concerns" About Emergency Alert Systems To Legisaltors

Texas lawmakers heard nearly three hours of testimony Wednesday from the state’s emergency management chief about a system reliant on local emergency managers who may not have even received warnings in the hours before devastating floods ravaged Central and West Texas earlier this month.

As the recovery efforts continue in Kerr County, legislators sought insight from Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), and other state agency representatives before considering bills for natural disaster preparedness and victim assistance.

Kidd encouraged lawmakers to consider setting more standards for local emergency coordinators to ensure that risk is effectively communicated to residents before disaster strikes. Kidd also urged the state to improve warning systems, which have come under scrutiny since the floods.

Questions about the response of local officials in Kerr County, where hundreds of people were caught unprepared by the rapidly rising water, hung in the air. Lawmakers will have to wait until next week to ask those questions when the committee heads to Kerrville to hear directly from local officials. Several bills for the special session have already been introduced regarding emergency preparedness and disaster response. The death toll from the flooding statewide has risen to 137, with two people still missing. One hundred eight deaths occurred along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County.

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https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23072025/texas-emergency-management-chief-disaster-communication-concerns-after-floods/