Texas Lawmakers Fail to Require Training for 254 County Emergency Coordinators After 130 Flood Deaths
Updated
Updated · The Texas Tribune · Jul 3
Texas Lawmakers Fail to Require Training for 254 County Emergency Coordinators After 130 Flood Deaths
2 articles · Updated · The Texas Tribune · Jul 3
Summary
Two bills that would have set minimum training standards for Texas emergency management coordinators died in the final 2025 special session, leaving counties and cities free to appoint untrained officials.
More than 130 people died in the July 4 floods, and state emergency chief Nim Kidd had told lawmakers that coordinators currently need only a mayor’s or judge’s signature to take the job.
Kerr County became the clearest example: investigators found local officials missed a July 3 state preparedness call, disregarded warnings, and had no effective emergency coordination as flooding surged before dawn.
Texts from sheriff’s officials on July 4 showed responders still sorting evacuee locations, media staging and missing-person reporting hours into the disaster, underscoring the role a trained coordinator could play.
Texas did pass flood siren and camp safety measures after the disaster, but lawmakers will not revisit coordinator training until the regular session begins in January.