Texts, emails show confusion among officials during Texas flooding

As the Guadalupe River overflowed in Kerr County on the Fourth of July, officials with a local agency charged with "managing water quality and water quantity" in the Texas Hill Country appeared perplexed by the extent of the unfolding crisis and their role in addressing it, according to emails and text messages obtained by ABC News.

"Wow!! It's a beautiful thing!" an official initially wrote to an Upper Guadalupe River Authority (UGRA) group chat at 7:09 a.m. -- including a screenshot of a graph showing a massive increase in streamflow levels along the river in Kerrville -- following drought conditions that Kerr County had faced prior to the flooding.

As others in the group chat shared the increasingly concerning reports they were hearing, it quickly became clear that there was cause for alarm.

"So I know I said it's a beautiful thing earlier," the official wrote at 7:38 a.m. "I had just woken up and hadn't looked at the gages yet. It's terrible."

By that time, parts of Kerr County had already been inundated with floodwaters for several hours, flood alerts had been issued, and the Kerrville Police Department had received calls for multiple water rescues.

"When it all settles back down, it will be a totally different river," an individual identified as maintenance technician Kevin Molenaar wrote.

The staggering toll of the flooding would not become apparent for days. More than 130 deaths were ultimately reported across the region, with many of the fatalities occurring at Camp Mystic.

On July 4, one official texted Dick Eastland, the camp's president, "You are in my prayers."

There was no response.

Eastland, who also served as the treasurer for the UGRA's Board of Directors, died during the storm alongside multiple young campers and counselors.

"The poor children at the camps and their parents," an official wrote in a group chat. "And so many people here in RVs for the 4th."

The communications were released in response to a request filed by ABC News under Texas law.

They paint a picture of confusion and concern throughout Independence Day, with some text messages stating that water gages in Hunt and Kerrville had stopped reading. In other messages, UGRA representatives posted what they had learned from news outlets or on social media.

"There are missing people and possibly missing kids from mystic but that is not confirmed," an official posted at 9:47 a.m.

Less than two hours later, the official typed, "They are saying now all camp mystic accounted for. Praise the lord."

An individual identified as natural resources manager Shelby Taber responded, "Glad to hear camp mystic is all safe!"

But by mid-afternoon, the UGRA's senior leadership appeared to realize the situation at Camp Mystic was more dire -- though they did not know specific details.

"Any word on Camp Mystic?" UGRA board president William Rector emailed general manager Tara Bushnoe at 2:41 p.m. "I bet we may find some financial assistance for establishing our Floor Warning System!"

Bushnoe responded at 3:12 p.m. that she only knew what she had seen on a local news website indicating "there are some girls missing" and that the camp had issued a statement that aired on a local newscast.

"I don't know if a flood warning system would have made enough difference," Bushnoe wrote. "I think it would have made some, but this happened so quickly. We will have to be careful with our messaging to be respectful of the devastation."

"Very true." Rector wrote back. "I think working behind the scenes is going to be the most appropriate action at this time. We, however, need to be concerned that the county does not try to sieze [sic] control."

Contacted by ABC News regarding the messages, officials with the UGRA did not respond to a request for comment.

ABC News previously asked the UGRA for any flood after-action reports it may have created over the last 25 years following other storms along the Guadalupe River, but a law firm representing the authority said that they "have no responsive information."

Documents released over the last month show that concerns over the risks posed by the Guadalupe River in Kerr County were widely known ahead of the Fourth of July floods, with the UGRA being particularly cognizant.

As ABC News previously reported, the authority submitted an application last year to state officials seeking a $1 million grant from the Texas Flood Infrastructure Fund for a project called the "Kerr County Flood Warning System" that would have included "high water detection systems at 10 low water crossings."

"Since 1932, approximately 35 lives have been lost in floods in Kerr County. Many of those lost were in vehicles attempting to cross flooded roads," the application noted alongside a timeline of deaths between 1987 and 2016.

However, in October 2024 the UGRA declined to continue applying for funding from the Infrastructure Fund, with Bushnoe writing in a letter at the time that although Kerr County was "vulnerable to flash foods," the project would have been "only eligible for a 5% grant."

"We will continue to explore options to implement a Kerr County flood warning system and financial assistance opportunities," Bushnoe's letter said.

The letter did not note who decided that the project would have only been eligible for a 5% grant.

The UGRA later reached an agreement with a company called Kisters to develop a different flood warning system that would have consisted of a "centralized dashboard to support local flood monitoring and emergency response."

The agreement, which was signed exactly one month before the July 4 floods, indicated that the project was expected to cost more than $70,000.

A kick-off meeting was scheduled for mid-July, but the plans were put on hold after the floods. It remains unclear what happened to the plan crafted in 2024 for the $1 million flood warning system.

Kisters did not respond to ABC News' request for comment following the floods.

July 4 was supposed to be a day of celebration in Kerr County, with a major Independence Day fireworks event called "Fourth on the River" scheduled to take place just a stone's throw from the Guadalupe River.

Instead, it became one of the most tragic days in Central Texas history, with scores of people unaccounted for after sunset.

At the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, some staff members discussed the significance of the catastrophe among each other.

"I am hopeful they find more survivors tonight, but I assume the worst for the missing," natural resources specialist Travis Linscomb texted another staffer at 11:48 p.m.

"Hopefully this will push the early flood warning topic to the forefront and we get more done this time around," Linscomb added. "Unfortunately it seems like it takes major loss of life to get the ball really rolling on it like Blanco 2015 did," an apparent reference to another flood a decade ago.

As the calendar turned to July 5, the UGRA team grappled with how to explain their role as inquiries came in, according to the communications.

"I have a feeling we'll be getting lots of calls from very angry people asking why we let this happen because they want someone to blame and I'm going to have no idea what to tell them," one official wrote at 7:21 a.m.

The lack of an effective flood warning system in Kerr County would become top of mind in the hours, days and weeks after the banks of the Guadalupe overflowed. A committee of Texas legislators is now investigating the circumstances surrounding the July 4th floods.

"Some of the comments I'm seeing are saying things along the lines of 'how is there now [sic] flood warning system in 2025?'" an employee wrote to Linscomb early in the morning on July 5. "I want so badly to tell them that there is soooooo much more to it than just snapping your fingers and making it happen. Red tape, money, equipment that may not even survive a flood (like we saw today), etc."

"I can't imagine just being asleep then waking up to your rv floating away with you and your family in it and there is absolutely nothing you can do," the employee said. "The fear and helplessness people must have felt is gutwrenching."