4 questions that are still unanswered about Texas' deadly floods

Key questions remain unanswered about the actions Texas officials took both before and during the catastrophic July Fourth holiday floods as a painstaking search for victims continues along the Guadalupe River nearly a week later.

Officials have avoided specific explanations of what steps were taken in advance of the intense downpour. Forecasts on July 3 suggested it could threaten the scenic Texas Hill Country where hundreds of locals, tourists and campers were sleeping overnight. At least 120 people were killed and more than 160 people are believed to still be missing.

Here's what is still unknown about the hours before, during and after the deadly flash flood.

The full extent of Texas officials' readiness is unclear.

Two days before the flood, the Texas Division of Emergency Management activated state emergency response resources and then increased the readiness level the following day. State officials have said early forecasts did not pinpoint where the most intense rains would hit, so equipment and personnel were staged only in several areas, although they have not given specifics.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that prior to a briefing call on July 3, a regional coordinator personally reached out to local officials to make sure they were aware. "The message was sent," Patrick said.

In Kerr County, where the devastation is most extensive, Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring said this week he did not know what state emergency management resources were deployed ahead of time.

“I'm not going to contradict the information you have, but I will tell you, personally, I did not receive a telephone call,” he said.

That's still unknown.

Since the flood, Kerr County officials have repeatedly deflected questions about the details and timelines of their response.

The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning at 1:14 a.m. Friday to mobile phones and weather radios. The warning was updated at 4:03 a.m. to a flash-flood emergency.

The Kerrville Police Department and the Kerr County County Sheriff's Office began to post on Facebook around 5:15 a.m. warning residents of dangerous flooding. But it remains unclear how, if at all, emergency officials utilized CodeRED, the vendor used for alerting the public to emergency situations and disasters.

An Associated Press review of wireless emergency alerts sent in Texas between July 3 and July 5 found dozens sent by the NWS via a FEMA system to local cellphones that warned of the potential for flash floods. There were none listed as sent by Kerr County agencies until one July 6.

Texas inspectors had signed off on Camp Mystic’s plans for an emergency just two days before the floodwaters inundated the all-girls Christian summer camp, killing more than two dozen people.

Camps are responsible for developing their own emergency plans, which are evaluated by inspectors to ensure they meet several state requirements, including procedures for evacuation.

Camp Mystic this week did not respond to requests for comment on its emergency plan.

The camp had 557 campers and more than 100 staffers at the time between its Guadalupe and Cypress Lake locations.

It's not clear how threatening the July Fourth forecast appeared to camp leaders. The area is naturally prone to flash flooding, but this was an especially bad storm that hit overnight while most people are asleep, experts said. The landscape created the conditions for what some witnesses described as a fast-moving wall of water, which seems to have overtaken the cabins with the littlest campers.

Officials have not given a timeline.

They've repeatedly said their focus for now is on searching for the missing. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s highest ranking official, has said officials “did not know this flood was coming.” He has not spoken at any of the county's daily news conferences since July 5.

William “Dub” Thomas, Kerr County’s emergency management coordinator who has been in the job since November 2015, has not participated in any briefings with the media. On Monday, Thomas attended an emergency meeting of the county commissioner's court but declined an opportunity to address elected officials.

Kelly and Thomas have not responded to interview requests sent to them and the county.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha has insisted his priority remains the current response, but also said this week an “after action” review of the events leading up to and during the flood will come later.

Associated Press data journalist Christopher Keller contributed to this report.

Law enforcement officials block a road along the Guadalupe River as they load an extricated body into the back of a pickup truck in Hunt, Texas, Monday, July 7, 2025, after a flash flood swept through the area. (AP Photo/Eli Hartman)

Volunteer Mario Rios, right, and a fellow volunteer, search along the bank of the river after flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

An officer prays with a family as they pick up items at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

This aerial photo shows damage from flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Nancy Epperson, right, and Brooklyn Pucek, 6, visit a memorial for flood victims along the Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Dozens of people are presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, following a fire at a Swiss Alps bar during a New Year’s celebration, police said Thursday.

“Several tens of people” were killed at the bar, Le Constellation, Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said.

Work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families but “that will take time and for the time being it is premature to give you a more precise figure," Gisler said.

Beatrice Pilloud, attorney general of the Valais Canton, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage.

“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.

Officials called the blaze an “embrasement généralisé,” a firefighting term describing how a blaze can trigger the release of combustible gases that can then ignite violently and cause what English-speaking firefighters would call a flashover or a backdraft.

“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Rénard, head of the regional government.

The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, Rénard said.

Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries, officials said.

“We are devastated,” Frédéric Gisler, commander of the Valais Cantonal police, said during a news conference.

The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, according to regional councilor Mathias Rénard.

The municipality had banned New Year’s Eve fireworks due to lack of rainfall in the past month, according to its website.

In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid any accidents that could require medical resources that are already overwhelmed.

The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Matterhorn, one of the most famous Alpine peaks, and 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of Zurich.

The highest point of Crans-Montana, with a population of 10,000 residents, sits at an elevation of nearly 3,000 meters (1.86 miles), according to the municipality’s website, which says officials are seeking to move away from a tourist culture and attract high-tech research and development.

The municipality was formed only nine years ago, on Jan. 1, 2017, when multiple towns merged. It extends over 590 hectares (2.3 square miles) from the Rhône Valley to the Plaine Morte glacier.

Crans-Montana is one of the top race venues on the World Cup circuit in Alpine skiing and will host the next world championships over two weeks in February 2027.

In four weeks’ time, the resort will host the best men’s and women’s downhill racers for their last events before going to the Milan Cortina Olympics, which open Feb. 6.

Crans-Montana also is a premium venue in international golf. The Crans-sur-Sierre club stages the European Masters each August on a picturesque course with stunning mountains views.

From left, Mathias Reynard, State Councillor and president of the Council of State of the Canton of Valais, Stephane Ganzer, State Councillor and head of the Department of Security, Institutions and Sport of the Canton of Valais, Frederic Gisler, Commander of the Valais Cantonal Police, Beatrice Pilloud, Attorney General of the Canton of Valais and Nicole Bonvin-Clivaz, Vice-President of the Municipal Council of Crans-Montana during a press conference in Lens, following a fire that broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

A skier walks in the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

A banner stating that fireworks are prohibited due to the risk of fire is pictured near the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)