KAREN HUA:
00:00:20
Some Kerrville residents tell us they got no cell phone warnings before the flood hit. No heads up, no alerts? No.
KAREN HUA:
00:00:27
Others did get alerts, but say they didn't have reason to believe they were more severe than in the past. I'm not going to lie, I kinda just swiped and just, like, because it usually doesn't mean much.
KAREN HUA:
00:00:41
The National Weather Service sent the first emergency alert for Kerr County at 1:14 AM Central Time Friday, according to a CBS News analysis of FEMA data. This only warned of flash flooding. The first evacuation alert came around 4:00 AM. Just over an hour later, the river was more than 20 feet high, according to NOAA. Texas Governor Greg Abbott and FEMA sources tell CBS News it's the county's responsibility to send storm alerts. So at several press conferences, we asked Kerr County leaders if emergency alerts were sent. Yes or no, did local agencies send out any emergency alerts, blares, sirens of any kind? I know you guys keep asking this question. We appreciate it. We think it's important. We just-- again, we want to continue to focus on the families at this time.
KAREN HUA:
00:01:29
A CBS News review of data from IPAWS, the FEMA system that sends emergency warnings, shows Kerr County did not send any text alerts. All notifications were sent by the National Weather Service. The kids that go to the camps we're used to are technology-free, so they can't even take a smartphone, a tablet, anything.
KAREN HUA:
00:01:51
Nicole Wilson started a petition this weekend to install outdoor warning sirens. What I want to see from these leaders is a financial investment, no matter how high it has to go. How does it make you feel knowing that there is a technology out there that could have saved lives but it wasn't here? I'm extremely disappointed and very sad. It's hard when you lose anybody, but to think about how scared these girls were. Now, Nicole Wilson is just one of many residents I've spoken with who wishes an alert system could have done more. Two days before the flooding even started, on Wednesday, the Texas Department of Emergency Management said 17 agencies were in place to respond to any emergency weather. Jericka?
