As Kerr County leaders avoid alert questions, new audio surfaces in CodeRED timeline
KERR COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – Dispatch audio has surfaced from the critical hours before a deadly flood hit its height in Kerr County, helping piece together the timeframe local officials have yet to provide amid public scrutiny of their decisions on July 4.
“We still have water coming up,” an Ingram volunteer firefighter is heard telling a county sheriff dispatcher at 4:22 a.m. “The Guadalupe Schumacher sign is underwater on State Highway 39. Is there any way we can send a CodeRED out to our Hunt residents, asking them to find higher ground or stay home?”
LISTEN: Ingram volunteer firefighter calls Kerr County dispatch during deadly July 4 flood, requesting CodeRED alert.
CodeRED is a notification system some agencies use to send emergency alerts to subscribers’ cell phones. Online, the county encourages residents to sign up for the free service, which “has the ability to notify the entire county or only the affected areas” about emergency situations – including severe weather – “in a matter of minutes.”
In the recording obtained by KXAN investigators from a credible source, the dispatcher then tells the firefighter: “We have to get that approved with our supervisor. Just be advised we do have the Texas water rescue en route.”
The timing of that request came more than three hours after the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning – at 1:14 a.m. – for a portion of the county and around 20 minutes after the federal forecasting agency warned of a flash flood emergency – at 4:03 a.m. – in the area.
It is still unclear how much later the first CodeRED alert went out, as local officials have largely sidestepped related questions. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring, Jr. told reporters the only CodeRED notification he received was at 6 a.m., indicating a flash flood alert or “something to that effect.”
Ceslie Armstrong, who identified herself as a San Antonio-based producer and journalist – and longtime Hill Country resident who is subscribed to CodeRED – provided KXAN investigators with call recordings and text messages she said she received during the flood. The first was a text received at 5:34 a.m., saying a “The NWS has issued a Flash Flood Warning for your… location.” It was followed a minute later by a pre-recorded audio message, saying the same, adding to “take immediate action for your protection.”
CodeRED alerts from Kerr County on July 4 (Courtesy Ceslie Armstrong)
Responding to CodeRED concerns during a Wednesday press event, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said an “after action” review would happen after recovery and notifying victims’ families.
“I know that’s going to be asked over and over,” Leitha said. “Please understand that… We’re not going to hide from everything, that’s going to be checked into at a later time.”
On Thursday morning, officials updated the county’s death toll to 96. A total of 161 people were still missing.
CodeRED in Kerr County
County commissioners approved the use of CodeRED in 2009 for $25,000 a year. On the county’s website, it states the “system delivered pre-recorded emergency phone messages” when “rapid and accurate notification is essential for life safety.”
Historically, the sheriff has had the ultimate authority on sending an alert to the public. KXAN is awaiting a response and fulfillment of records requests we made to the county and other local officials to better understand decisions regarding the notifications during this flood.
On Tuesday, Leitha told reporters: "It's not that easy, and you just push a button. OK? There's a lot more to that.” When asked if that happened, he responded: "I can't tell you at this time."
Critics point to challenges with CodeRED using publicly available phone numbers and voluntary registration to send texts, voicemails and emails – meaning warnings may not reach all residents or visitors in a disaster area. However, the company behind CodeRED has explained it can also utilize IPAWS, the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System funded by FEMA – which alerts all phones in a geographical area, regardless of enrolling in the system. According to FEMA, 135 Texas agencies or entities use IPAWS, including Kerr County and the City of Kerrville.
"Each local jurisdiction independently determines their intended use of tools such as CodeRED as well as their local process to dispatch notifications and alerts using the tool," a CodeRED corporate spokesperson told KXAN investigators. "Local governments also determine whether to send alerts through IPAWS during the alert creation process within CodeRED."
In 2012, The Kerrville Daily Times reported 18,451 people had signed up for CodeRED alerts in the area. In 2020, county commissioners approved incorporating IPAWS into CodeRED, so that tourists could be reached even if they were not in the local database, according to meeting minutes and a video archive KXAN investigators reviewed.
“The easiest way to explain it is, say you're traveling through this area and we've had something happen here, it could still notify you if we send it out,” former Kerr County Sheriff William "Rusty" Hierholzer told commissioners in a November 2020 meeting.
Since last week’s flood, officials have fielded questions regarding the effectiveness of CodeRED alerts in the county’s rural areas where cell service can be spotty. Officials have also said many of the children at camps along the Guadalupe River did not have phones with them.