County judges share contrasting flood experiences at Texas legislative hearing

Kendall County’s proactive planning saved lives while Real County struggled with communication gaps during devastating July floods

Two Hill Country judges offered starkly different accounts of their counties’ experiences during July’s deadly floods, highlighting the critical importance of emergency preparedness and communication systems during an unprecedented joint legislative hearing Thursday.

The joint hearing of the Texas Senate and House Select Committees on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding brought together lawmakers at the Hill Country Youth Event Center to examine the response to floods that killed 108 people, including 37 children, in neighboring Kerr County.

Kendall County: “Proper Planning, Not Luck”

Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk credited his county’s success in preventing flood deaths to rigorous advance planning rather than fortune. “Prepare for the worst every time,” Stolarczyk told lawmakers, describing the philosophy that guided Kendall County’s response.

The county’s Emergency Action Plan proved crucial as officials tracked the disaster unfolding upstream in Kerr County during the early morning hours of July 4th. Beginning at 4 a.m., Kendall County activated its Emergency Operations Center and issued a series of escalating warnings to residents along the Guadalupe River.

“The 20-foot flood wave took about 90 minutes to move downstream toward Kendall County,” Stolarczyk testified, explaining how his team used that time to issue mandatory evacuations for Comfort residents and activate siren warning systems.

The coordinated response worked: no lives were lost in Kendall County, despite significant property damage along the river.

Stolarczyk outlined extensive preparedness measures his county had implemented, including investing over $175,000 in flood studies, strengthening floodplain regulations, and implementing an affordable emergency alert system called WENS (Wireless Emergency Notification System).

Real County: Stretched Thin by Communication Gaps

Just miles away, Real County Judge Bella Rubio painted a picture of a rural county struggling with resource limitations and communication failures. With a population of approximately 3,000, Real County was not catastrophically impacted but faced two major floods within 10 days that stretched resources thin.

“The sheriff utilizes an app system for notifications, but it does not work in all the areas of the county due to minimal and/or zero cell phone service nor during power outages,” Rubio testified, highlighting a critical vulnerability that occurs frequently during severe weather.

Real County’s limited resources include a sheriff with six full-time deputies, two volunteer fire departments, and seven road and bridge employees responsible for monitoring approximately 75 low-water crossings prone to flooding.

Funding and Infrastructure Challenges

Both judges emphasized the financial burden facing rural counties in implementing effective alert systems. Rubio stressed that “funding assistance must occur,” noting that counties should not bear the cost of life-saving alert systems solely through local property taxes.

“Timely alerts should not have to be considered a luxury but a fundamental necessity, especially for our most vulnerable population,” Rubio concluded.

Stolarczyk called for improved access to the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), describing the current system as “too limited in access and not user-friendly.” He also recommended developing a river-wide emergency alert system that could track the entire Guadalupe River and its tributaries.

Legislative Response

The testimony came during an unprecedented joint hearing – the first time in Texas history that the House Speaker and Lieutenant Governor have jointly led a committee hearing in a local community. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows both committed to continued legislative action beyond the current special session.

The hearing was prompted by the July 4th flood in Kerr County that resulted from what officials called a “thousand-year flood” – more than 12 inches of rain in under six hours that sent water levels rising more than 20 feet per hour along the South Fork of the Guadalupe River.

The contrasting experiences of Kendall and Real counties underscore the varying levels of preparedness and resources available to rural Texas communities facing increasingly severe weather events, setting the stage for potential legislative action in upcoming sessions.

This article is based on testimony provided during the July 31, 2025, joint hearing in Kerrville, Texas.