Recent communications from the city of Kerrville, revealed in newly released records, suggest that officials were caught off guard by the disastrous flood that hit Hill Country on July 4th. This information was made public through a records request.
The documents include a humorous text exchange featuring Dalton Rice, the city manager, who referred to Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem as “basically my hometown Barbie.” Just hours before a press conference on July 5, a city employee, involved in coordinating with federal, state, and local officials, messaged Rice, asking, “We met Barbie in my hometown. How is she?” To which Rice responded with laughter, saying, “Barbie is basically my hometown.”
Noem defended the federal government, stating that the criticism of their response to the floods was more political than factual, claiming it caused “damage to our country.”
After taking on the role of DHS secretary earlier in the year, Noem has been the subject of various nicknames online, including “Ice Barbie.” Her management of the flood crisis has faced backlash, particularly because FEMA’s response was reportedly delayed about three days due to changes in federal contract procedures.
There have also been ongoing concerns at both state and local levels. Texas authorities have resisted implementing a warning siren system along the Guadalupe River, where the floods turned deadly. Moreover, a significant restructuring by the Trump administration led to the firing of a key emergency coordinator just before the flooding incident.
In the wake of this tragedy, there are calls for Kerrville and nearby communities to seek answers and reforms. Noem emphasized in previous interviews that this was the fastest FEMA had ever responded to a disaster, contrasting it with what she termed a poor record under the Biden administration.
She added, “We didn’t go there to manage it; we let local officials take the reins. The state did a great job.” Noem also pushed back against reports claiming delays in DHS response to the Texas flooding, labeling them as “absolutely garbage.”
This catastrophic event has claimed at least 137 lives across Texas, with 108 deaths reported in Kerr County alone. Among the fatalities were 27 individuals associated with Camp Mystic, a long-standing Christian summer camp for girls in Hunt. Authorities are currently looking into whether camp officials adequately addressed flash flood warnings prior to the incident.
The situation has sparked broader conversations about how youth camps and similar organizations prepare for and respond to rapidly changing weather threats. Kerrville city officials, including Dalton Rice, have not yet responded to inquiries regarding the flooding.
