EP 58 Kerrville, Texas July 4 flood - crisis communications review

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A wall of water 40 feet high. Spotty cell service. A holiday weekend. These factors converged to create one of the deadliest flooding disasters in Texas history this July 4th weekend, claiming over 100 lives along the Guadalupe River, many of them young campers at Christian summer camps with century-old traditions.

We take you inside the communications response, examining how communications flowed during this complex, multi-agency effort in a race to save lives and reunite families. 

From press conferences that sometimes seemed choreographed for political visibility to the notable absence of a dedicated Public Information Officer coordinating the response messaging, we analyze what worked and what didn't in this complex emergency communications scenario. The state-level response showed impressive command of facts and empathetic delivery, while local briefings sometimes struggled with cohesion and clarity.

For families who sent their children to summer camps along the river, this disaster represents an unthinkable tragedy. Our hearts go out to those affected, including the emergency responders now facing the psychological impact of recovery operations. We discuss resources for addressing PTSD in crisis responders and point listeners to our previous episodes covering mental health aspects of disaster recovery.

Our guest today is Destin Singleton, principal at Emic Communications in New Braunfels, Texas. Reach out to Destin at www.emiccomms.com 

We'd love to hear from you.  Email the show at [email protected].