HOUSTON, Texas – I know this week has been tough for many Texans... hearing about, covering, and witnessing the devastation that took place in the Hill Country has been heartbreaking.
If you haven’t heard, a flash flood hit parts of Central Texas, killing more than 100 and leaving several still missing, including children from an all-girls Christian camp and their counselor.
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Although we are continuing the coverage on what’s happening in Central Texas (you can check it out here), our Investigators have not only been out covering some of the hardest hit areas, they have also been keeping you updated on what’s happening throughout your city.
So, let’s dive into what some of our Investigative reporters covered before the deadly floods, during the floods, and what’s to come.
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A Blast From The Past - What We’ve Covered This Week and Last
Let’s start with a story from Investigator Amy Davis. This week, she dove into an issue that may affect many of you. Straight from our 2 Helps inbox, we received an email from a viewer asking if we were aware of Texas’s problem with late child support payments.
And I know, you may be thinking that one of the parties paid late, but no, that’s not it. After digging into the issue, we learned that the state was at fault. Many parents complained about not receiving their payments on time from the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Of course, we reached out to the AG’s Office, which admitted they were experiencing some delays with their new system but assured parents that payments are pending.
To read the full statement from the AG’s Office, click here.
Next up, Joel Eisenbaum resumed his coverage of issues some Houston residents are facing with the city’s solid waste department.
Several viewers have reached out to us in the past few months, complaining about late garbage and recycling bin pickups. Joel looked into the most recent calls to 311 and found numerous requests for bin repairs that expired and were closed without the problems being resolved.
To see what grade the City of Houston’s solid waste department received on 311’s resolution dashboard, click here.
Jumping into some flood coverage in the Hill Country, Investigator Mario Diaz explored some local angles, first speaking with a professor from Rice University who reflected on past floods and how we can better prepare for the future.
Rice University professor Philip Bedient is the Director of the Severe Storm Prediction, Education, and Evacuation from Disaster (SSPEED) Center, focusing primarily on floodwaters. After the floods in Central Texas, Bedient said he began closely examining the system of gauges along the upper Guadalupe River.
To find out more about Bedient and what he thinks the state can do to improve safety for residents, click here.
Mario also looked into the first responders’ response to the deadly flood since there have been questions about the weather alerting system and if officials did enough to warn residents, campers and tourists about the flood threat.
The first question asked by a first responder in connection with the flood was at 4:22 a.m. on July 4.
“Is there any way we can send a CodeRED to our Hunt residents asking them to find higher ground or stay home?”
The request for a CodeRED was met with a dispatcher informing the first responder, “10-4 standby, we have to get that approved with our supervisor. Please be advised, we do have the Texas Water Rescue en route.”
As a result of the responder’s call coming to light, there are specific questions now being asked of the county sheriff as to why something wasn’t done sooner.
To read this full story and learn more about what’s being done, click here.
Robert Arnold also covered the flood, focusing on one of the hardest-hit counties, Kerr County, and its flood warning system.
Robert discovered that although county officials spent years discussing a flood warning system, the plan was not moved forward.
A 2025 strategic plan from the Upper Guadalupe River Authority shows it considered applying for funds from the Texas Water Development Board Flood Infrastructure, but scrapped the idea after learning it would only provide a 5-percent funding match.
Gov. Greg Abbott said this issue will be raised during the upcoming special session of the Texas Legislature. Lawmakers failed to pass a bill last session that would have created a new state agency to oversee improvements in first responder communications and emergency alert systems.
To read the entire story and learn more about the failed plan, click here.
Robert also looked into a bill that State Senator Paul Bettencourt (R) Dist. 7 is working on for the upcoming special session of the Texas legislature.
The bill would provide funding to install warning sirens in more flood-prone areas of the state.
Bill Spencer was also out in the Hill Country covering many stories from community members affected by the flood.
He shared a heartbreaking story of a restaurant owner who not only lost nearly everything, but who shared the story of one of her employees who lost his life saving his family.
He also spoke to a former youth camp director while at a memorial for the 27 victims — 25 girls and two camp counselors — who died in the tragic flood at Camp Mystic.
“My heart goes out to everybody. Being in this world and knowing what camp directors have to go to, my heart bleeds for them,” John Kerr said.
Kerr explained how unpredictable flash flooding can be in the Texas Hill Country. During his time as a camp director, he said he witnessed several floods with water rising more than five feet, including one that reached 15 feet.
To continue to read about Kerr’s experience, click here.
Coming up next week, our Investigators are diving into some more stories:
People living in one Pearland neighborhood have been dealing with power surges that have left them with expensive repair bills. (One time, the burning smell was so bad that firefighters had to come out!) CenterPoint did give partial refunds to a few people for the damage bills, but not everyone.
KPRC 2 Investigator Robert Arnold is digging into Houston Police Department response times, and this time, he and the team are going neighborhood by neighborhood.
Instead of citywide averages, we’re zeroing in on how response times vary across Houston and why some areas wait longer for help.
We’ve analyzed the HPD data to see how officers answer specific calls for help.
See our story next Thursday, July 17.
Then on the same day, Investigative reporter Amy Davis is working to answer: What will CenterPoint refund customers for? What should all homeowners know about damage caused by utility companies? We are working to have this ready at 6 p.m.
That’s a wrap for this week, folks! We’ll see you next week, same time and place. Can’t wait! 😂