Texas Hill Country Flood Safety: Grieving Mom Demands Action

Plea for Flood Safety Upgrades

• 💔 Alicia Jeffrey Baker, who lost her 11-year-old daughter and parents in the Texas Hill Country flash floods, testified emotionally, demanding better safety measures.
• 🚨 She specifically called for a siren warning system that is directly linked to river flood gauges, a system currently absent in the area.

Emergency Response Failures

• ⚠️ Testimony revealed that the Kerr County emergency management director admitted to being sick and asleep during the critical July 3rd flood event, missing key coordination calls.
• 📱 Questions were raised about the Code Red cell phone alert, which was reportedly sent 39 minutes after being requested and lacked proper authorization to sound the alarm.
• 🚫 It was confirmed that the Code Red alert was not sent during the emergency.

Calls for Accountability and Solutions

• 🗣️ Lawmakers questioned the lack of immediate action and the delays in the emergency response system.
• 🛠️ The Kerrville mayor is seeking state assistance to implement upgraded alert systems and warning sirens before next summer.
• 🚧 State troopers are managing security checkpoints to clear highways for debris removal teams in affected towns like Hunt.
• 💬 Baker emphasized the need for change, stating, "When we know better, we do better," urging for improved measures to protect the community.

The Devastation of the Floods

• 🌊 Survivors and family members are working to ensure such a tragedy never repeats itself.
• 📏 Debris found in the town of Hunt indicated water levels that would have been at least 20 feet overhead during the flood's peak.
• 💍 Baker shared the heartbreaking detail that her daughter was identified by a charm bracelet found in the debris six days after the flood.