Tragedy near Kerrville

I'm very familiar with that area. Evacuation is not really a good option, as most of the time (but not this time, maybe) it's more dangerous to be on the roads. Many roads around there become impassable very quickly even in much less severe storms. There are roads with water-crossings by design. Why? Because every flash flood will wipe out small bridges. Sure, if you had advance knowledge of the flooding levels of the river and its tributaries you could make a decision. But it's entirely possible that you could get stuck in a bus and swept away even in a lesser storm.

I don't know how it's practical to move 700+ kids and counselors, even if you had the transportation on hand, quickly enough. I figure they probably went from "we got a problem" to realizing it was life threatening in about 15 minutes. Apparently they were having problems getting everybody to high ground. If they can't get that done there's no way they'd pull off an evacuation.

Sometimes bad things happen. This one hurts. Really hurts. One of the young victims went to a school that's two miles from my house. The hill country is where Houston parents send their kids in the summer. We sent ours when they were young. Our grand-kids will come back next week. They are in a completely different area though. But this all hits a bit too close to home.
 
My heart goes out to all of the families. As a parent, I can not imagine the depths of dispair such and event would bring.

It was a horrible natural disaster, probably unpredictable, but none the less, conspiracy stories will be out before the first funeral. I mean, someone has to be to blame....right?
 
God Bless all those touched by this tragedy. May something positive come out of all this so maybe we can save more lives in the future.
When something like this happens. we need to make sure we have all available information before we start pointing fingers at possible failures.
 
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The forecasts were inaccurate as to the location of the storm until it was too late for some. I wonder if evacuating hundreds of children on a ridiculously stormy night at the last minute without buses would have killed more children than the flood. did. God have mercy on those children and their families. My friend evacuated with his family, but they had to move so fast they could not take their RV. They saw it floating away on the news.
 
LVSteve said:
Usual problem, who pays for that?
Click to expand...
This sort of thing used to be standard fare and paid for by the taxpayer. Radio weather alerts aren't anything new, unless they got the ax?. The campground should have an employee or two on a night shift ... I'd think anyway? Everyone can't be asleep through emergencies at a campground. Fire, tornado, flood? What, ... just sleep through it? That can't be the case.

www.forbes.com

Texas Flood Disaster - The Case For A Weather Radio Renaissance?

Do the catastrophic Texas floods make the case for NOAA weather radios? Experts weigh in.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
 
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taz666 said:
This sort of thing used to be standard fare and paid for by the taxpayer. Radio weather alerts aren't anything new, unless they got the ax?. The campground should have an employee or two on a night shift ... I'd think anyway? Everyone can't be asleep through emergencies at a campground. Fire, tornado, flood? What, ... just sleep through it? That can't be the case.

www.forbes.com

Texas Flood Disaster - The Case For A Weather Radio Renaissance?

Do the catastrophic Texas floods make the case for NOAA weather radios? Experts weigh in.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
Click to expand...
Yes, the NOAA emergency systems are still there, but you have to be actively listening to them or be on FB at 0400 to receive the warnings in this case. I get weather warnings via my cell during monsoon season, and maybe there is a way to silence them. Some people are in the habit of totally silencing their phones totally at night so they are not woken by spam calls and texts. How is the cell service down in the TX hill country? A cellphone is basically a radio, and it can be a bear to get consistent coverage in rolling hill country.

As for "that can't be the case", why not? That's how accidents/disasters happen. Murphy's Law applies. It's pretty clear from events that there isn't a night watchman (again, who pays him/her)and the people in the campground did largely sleep through it until it was too late. In little places in the boonies once the last campfire is out the day is done, the sidewalks are rolled up, and it's time for all to sleep. It can be very hard to create a proper sense of preparedness in Mayberry type places even with warnings, not that Kerrville really received any until too late.
 
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LVSteve ... Ignorance, laziness, or just not being prepared is no excuse. These places have a responsibility for the safety of their guests. They have to do whatever is necessary to achieve that. If that means an employee working nights to keep an eye on things and/or listen to weather alerts, then that's what is done. Not sure what was or wasn't done in this case but it seems like this caught people by surprise and that honestly puzzles me. Also, the NOAA weather alert radios don't use cell networks.
They work on battery backup if required as well.
 
The real world is not like Disney World where there is a safety net for every contingency.

We've become a society who depends on our technology. I've camped in low lying places like that before and have seen flash floods. Regardless of any warning or lack thereof, when the first raindrop hit my tent or camper I would have been headed for high country.
 
Latest official death count announcement is 59, with 11 more missing or unaccounted for. This long after the event, the 11 will probably end up being moved to the death count.
 
Tom S. said:
There has to be a NOAA Alert app for cell phones.

EDIT: I just checked and there are several.
Click to expand...
Looks like a good fix. Trouble is, it only works if you have it on your phone. Not everyone thinks of such things.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda, will go on for weeks. What bothers me is that too often after such events huge restrictions and costs get piled onto outdoor activities in the name of safety and "never again". Fair warning, I've seen that rabbit hole all too often in the UK. Planet Earth is not an intrinsically safe place, but we must balance risk against being able to live our lives and have some fun.
 
We have "reverse 911" in Florida. I remember when they first tuned it up maybe 10 years ago. They tested it one time around 4 in the morning and thousands of folks raised holy **** about that. Never heard it again. Joe
 
Latest is 68 confirmed deaths, 28 are kids. Cadaver dogs are finding more. Current expectation is >80 deaths after all searches are complete, based on 41 unresolved known missings presently reported. Hell on Earth. San Antonio sent a contingent of firefighters to Kerrville this morning to assist in search and recovery operations. Still considerable confusion, lots of land area to search.

For those who do not know much about Texas, Kerr County is the location of the famous and huge YO game hunting ranch. I have not heard if it was affected by the flooding.
 
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ralph7 said:
I see a report that 2 girls were found live in a tree, I don't have a link, hope this is true.
Click to expand...
EDIT: THIS STORY IS NOW SAID TO BE FALSE.

kerrcountylead.com

Rescuers find 2 girls in tree, 30-feet up, near Comfort – The Kerr County Lead

The dramatic rescue occurred closer to Comfort, which is in Kendall County, witnesses said. The girls were found in the tree during ongoing search operations for victims of Friday's catastrophic flooding that has killed 59 people across Kerr County.
kerrcountylead.com kerrcountylead.com
 
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