A “Basic Plan” for emergency response for three Texas counties, including Kerr County, labeled flash flooding as “highly likely” to occur, with a “major” impact on public health and safety, according to an ABC News review of a page on the Kerrville city website.
The plan was approved and signed in November 2015, nearly a decade before devastating floods left more than 100 dead over this past weekend.
The emergency response plan listed different types of natural, technological and security hazards, and noted that flash flooding could also have a “major” impact on property.
The document classified “Flash Flood Warning” as a “Level II: High Readiness event.”
A crew of firefighters from Ciudad Acuna, left, aid in search and rescue efforts near the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas.
Eli Hartman/AP
“Readiness actions may include notifying the public about the warning, evacuating low-lying areas, open shelters to house evacuees, and continuing situation monitoring,” the document said of the flash flood warning designation.
According to the plan, the primary responsibility for evacuation during emergencies is “assigned to the Kerrville Police Chief and Kerr County Sheriff.” The document says the duties of the police chief and sheriff include “identifying areas where evacuation has been or may [be] in the future” and says they are to “determine emergency public information requirements.”
ABC News has reached out to Kerrville’s Public Information Officer with questions about the plan, including if the 2015 version is the most up-to-date.
