KERRVILLE, Texas – As state lawmakers questioned leaders in Kerr County about their preparedness and response to the deadly July 4 floods that killed more than 100 people and left hundreds more displaced, a neighboring county shared how their preparedness efforts prevented loss of life during the flood.
Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk spoke before a joint House and Senate of lawmakers who visited the Hill Country for the hearing on Thursday.
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"I share this today not to say we have all the answers, but to stress the importance of investing in emergency preparedness before the disaster strikes," Stolarczyk said.
Kendall County is located one county down the river from Kerr County. No one in Kendall County died from the flood and Stolarczyk credits the county’s emergency action plan for keeping everyone safe.
“The timeline of our flood response shows our proactiveness prior to the floodwaters reaching our community,” he said.
Below is a timeline given by the judge of everything Kendall County did in the day and hours before the flood hit.
July 3, 2025
- 8:37 a.m. - County emergency management coordinator called and advised to be vigilant and stay alert for heavy rain in the area and take note of RV parks and campgrounds along the river.
- 10:25 a.m. - Email sent to all volunteer fire chiefs, EMS administrator, Kendall County Sheriff Patrol Sergeant on-call, and precinct 4 commissioner, advising them to stay vigilant and on alert for potential flooding in the Comfort area.
- 1:18 p.m. - National Weather Service issues a Flood Watch.
- 6 p.m. - Started sharing Facebook weather updates and monitoring incoming storms.
- 11:41 p.m. - National Weather Service issues Flash Flood Warning.
July 4, 2025
- 12 a.m. - Emergency management coordinator continues actively monitoring weather reports and river gauges near Comfort and coordinating closely with sheriff’s deputies.
- 1:14 a.m. - Flash Flood Warning with considerable tag issued for Bandera, Kerr counties.
- 4 a.m. - Emergency management coordinator activates emergency operations center and makes phone calls to pertinent EOC members.
- 4:03 a.m. - Flash Flood Warning upgraded to Flash Flood Emergency for south-central Kerr County.
- 4:32 a.m. - National Weather Service reports 5-10 inches of rain had fallen across south-central Kerr County in three to six hours. Particularly dangerous situation declared.
- 5:29 a.m. - Flash Flood Warning for Kendall County activates wireless emergency notification system on phones.
- 6:21 a.m. - Kendall County notifies river residents that flooding was a concern.
- 6:37 a.m. - Emergency Operation Center fully activated, reports come in of devastation in Kerr County, including flooding at camps and rising water levels. Shelter opened at Comfort ISD. 20-foot flood wave took about 90 minutes to move downstream to Kendall County.
- 7 a.m. - WENS (Wireless emergency notifications system) issues notification that flooding is ongoing on Guadalupe River in Kerr County.
- 7:30 a.m. - Mandatory evacuations issued for river residents in Comfort.
- 8:06 a.m. - WENS message telling Comfort residents along the river to move to higher ground immediately pushed by emergency management director. Evacuations were occurring along the river. Road and bridge crews began closing impacted roads and bridges. Comfort Volunteer Fire Department began evacuating vehicles on bridges and cleared out the Comfort RV Resort. Multiple rescue boats were staged at Comfort High School.
- 8:44 a.m. - Floodwaters approaching Kendall County.
- 10:52 a.m. - As water began rising too fast to ensure safe evacuations, Assistant Comfort Volunteer Fire Chief activates warning siren system for Comfort area to warn people of impending danger.
- 11:01 - 11:05 a.m. - WENS alert continued stating urgent flood alert warning. Residents along the river seek higher ground immediately. A Flash Flood Warning has been issued for Kendall County.
“Thanks to the rapid coordinated action, no lives were lost in Kendall County though we did suffer private property damage along the Guadalupe River,” Stolarczyk said.
He says the county has strengthened it’s floodplain rules, invested into a study of nearby Cypress Creek, pursued a county-wide drainage master plan, and implemented the WENS Emergency Alert System, among other things which helped prevent loss of life in the county during the flood.
"In closing, our experience in Kendall County is a testament to what preparation, communication, and teamwork can achieve. We didn’t have it perfect, but we had a plan, practiced it, and executed it with urgency and coordination. I urge the committee to continue investing in local preparedness, strengthen interagency tools, and ensure small counties have equitable access to resources," Stolarczyk said.