San Antonio — AUSTIN — In the wake of the deadly July 4 flooding in Kerr County, a new state legislative committee is working to prevent future tragedies. The Joint House and Senate Texas Disaster Preparedness and Flooding Committee — formed at the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott — is scheduled to meet next Wednesday at the Capitol.
State Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, who sits on the committee, says it’s time for bold action, not politics.
“This is not the time for politics but for action,” Menéndez told Fox San Antonio. Specifically for the families who lost children in the fast-rising floodwaters and the families who were enjoying one of the most patriotic holidays, and who had little or no warning of the wall of water that was about to change their lives.
Menéndez said that while funding has been allocated, the state will need more than just money to fix what failed.
He believes a single alert system won’t be enough, especially in rural areas where cell service is unreliable and terrain limits communication.
“Sirens alone may or may not be good enough,” he said. “We’ve got to look at a multi-factor way of doing it.”
The committee’s focus won’t be on investigating what went wrong, but rather on shaping new policies to save lives. Menéndez referenced a past tragedy in the same region.
“As recently as 1987, 10 kids died in a bus flood here,” he said. “We should’ve done something then.”
He emphasized the need for a broad, multi-agency approach: “It has to be a collaborative effort, local, state, and federal. Everyone needs skin in the game.”
From improving communication between emergency agencies to rethinking how Texans are warned, Menéndez says the time to act is now.
“This is not a partisan issue,” he said. “This is a public safety issue, and Texans have to confront it head-on.”
The first meeting will be held in Austin, with a follow-up scheduled later this month in Kerrville.