KERRVILLE, Texas – Kerrville leaders were largely caught off guard by the deadly July 4 floods in the Hill Country, text message and email records released this weekend by the city show.
The hundreds of pages of records, provided to TheTXLoop Investigates following a series of public records requests, include a text thread from Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice in which he referred to U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem as “basically homeland Barbie.”
The text was sent July 5, hours after Rice and Noem had taken part in a press conference in Kerrville regarding the then-ongoing search and rescue efforts in the region.
Rice did not respond to an email seeking comment Sunday, a day after city officials released records showing his communications from July 3-5.
At least 137 people died statewide, 108 of them in Kerr County, during the historic flooding event earlier this month.
‘Big day tomorrow at LHP’
Among the records was a July 3 text message sent from Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. to Rice in which he wrote “Big day tomorrow at LHP,” a likely reference to Louise Hays Park, the site of Kerrville’s Fourth on the River celebration.
The park was damaged during the floods and as of Friday, remained closed to the public.
At 6:37 a.m. on July 4, Herring again texted Rice, but this time asked for the location of the emergency operations center.
After Rice updated Kerrville city council members that morning that water rescues were underway, Place 4 City Councilwoman Brenda Hughes responded “Ugh!!! Not what we needed today (sad face emoji).”
A second councilwoman, Place 1’s Delayne Sigerman, responded via text, “Whoever prayed for this should pray for cease fire in Israel,” the records show.
At 10:43 a.m. on July 4, Herring texted Rice for an update on Camp Mystic.
Rice responded that he did not have an update and that “Everything is still Unconfirmed,” records show.
Twenty-seven campers and counselors who were staying at the camp along the river in Hunt died.
All-call to off-duty Kerrville firefighters did not go out until almost 9 a.m. July 4
Emails received by Kerrville Emergency Management Coordinator Jerremy Hughes show that the city’s fire department waited until 8:55 a.m. on July 4 to tell all off-duty personnel to report to their respective stations.
The email was sent hours after the flood had become a catastrophic weather event.
Hughes and Rice received a long list of media interview requests in the immediate aftermath of the floods, along with messages from people asking if they could help with search efforts or provide equipment.
City managers throughout the state, including San Antonio’s Erik Walsh, emailed Rice to offer support.
“Dalton, great job at the press conference. Steady, factual, clear. I know we sent crews up very early this morning and have more on the way,” Walsh wrote just before noon on July 4, before providing his cell phone number and telling Rice to call him if he needed anything.
‘Just saw you met Homeland Barbi, how is she?!?!?!’
Herring and Rice’s messages to one another on July 4 included a text from Rice in which he wrote, “He’s a (expletive) joke.”
It’s not clear from the texts to whom Rice was referring.
Rice, according to the records, later that evening texted Herring, “Where’s the judge…”
On July 5, Rice took part in an afternoon press conference in Kerrville with federal, state and local leaders to update the public on search and rescue efforts.
Hours after the press conference ended, a city staffer texted Rice, “Just saw you met Homeland Barbi, how is she?!?!?!”
Rice responded via text, “Beahahaha basically homeland Barbie.”
The phrase, along with the words ICE Barbie, has been used to mockingly refer to Noem since she was confirmed as DHS secretary early this year.
Read more reporting on the TheTXLoop Investigates page.
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