'We did not know!' Heartbroken mayor of flood-hit town breaks down live on CNN
Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. broke down Monday while on CNN to talk about the deadly Texas flood that has claimed the lives of at least 89 people, with dozens more missing.
“I think everyone in Kerrville, everyone in Kerr County wishes to God we had some way to warn them, to warn those people,” a visibly emotional Herring told CNN. “I've lost two friends, we left them, and they're gone, they're gone. Everyone here, if we could have warned them, we would have done so, and we didn't even have a warning, we did not know!”
Originating from Texas Hill County, the flood saw water levels rise rapidly in the Guadalupe River, devastating several cities in Central Texas, including the Christian girls’ summer camp known as Camp Mystic, which lost 27 campers and counselors.
Texas officials have faced scrutiny over the lack of alerts ahead of the deadly flood, something Herring also spoke to, telling CNN he received no warnings the night ahead of the flood.
Herring wiped away tears with a handkerchief as he spoke.
“When I checked about 8 p.m. that night, there was a chance of rain,” he said. “I did not see a flood warning, I did not receive a flood notification, I did not know.”
Kerrville officials pushed back on critics’ questions as to why the city did not order evacuations sooner, with Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice telling reporters Monday that evacuation orders can be “very tough.”
“Why didn’t we evacuate?” Rice told CNN. “Well, evacuation is a delicate balance, because if you evacuate too late, you then risk putting buses, or cars, or vehicles or campers on roads, into low water areas, trying to get them out, which then can make it even more challenging.”