On the one-year anniversary of the July 2025 floods that killed more than 130 people, Texas officials warn that a lack of mandatory training for local emergency management coordinators remains a critical vulnerability after the legislature failed to pass licensing requirements during the 2025 special session.
The Missing Baseline for Emergency Management
Nim Kidd, the Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief, has signaled that the state’s current system for appointing disaster leaders is fundamentally flawed. Unlike the strict certification requirements for police officers or firefighters, Texas currently allows local officials to appoint emergency coordinators without any formal training or state-mandated credentials.
This lack of oversight means that leaders in Texas’ 254 counties, as well as in its various cities, possess the authority to hire individuals with no formal experience in disaster response or planning. During a legislative hearing in July 2025, [Nim Kidd told lawmakers](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/03/texas-floods-emergency-management-coordinators-training-legislature/) that a standardized requirement is necessary to ensure competence during crises.
Nim Kidd, via The Texas Tribune
The legislative attempt to rectify this gap failed during the final special session of 2025. Two separate bills intended to address coordinator licensing and other recommendations from Kidd did not pass, leaving the state’s emergency management structure unchanged as it enters the 2026 calendar year.
Accountability Failures in Kerr County
The consequences of unregulated emergency leadership were central to the investigation into the July 2025 disaster. In Kerr County, where the majority of the flood-related deaths occurred, a state legislative investigation concluded that alerts and warnings were effectively disregarded because officials were “substantially absent from duty.”
The investigation highlighted a breakdown in the chain of command:
Then-Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator William “Dub” Thomas was absent on the morning of July 4, having taken time off starting July 3 due to illness.
Investigators found no evidence that a representative from Kerr County joined a state emergency preparation call on July 3 to discuss potential holiday weekend storms.
County Judge Rob Kelly was at his lake house in the Austin area during the flooding.
According to the county’s own emergency plan, the judge’s responsibilities should have transitioned to the most senior county commissioner during an absence, while the coordinator’s duties should have shifted to a person designated by the judge. The failure to execute these transitions contributed to the breakdown in response.
“To be an emergency management coordinator in the state of Texas, you need the signature of a mayor or judge. Period. That needs to change.”
While licensing reform stalled, the Texas legislature did take action on specific safety measures following the disaster. State lawmakers mandated the installation of flood warning sirens in areas with a history of flooding that were struck by the 2025 summer storms.
In Kerr County, the implementation of this mandate is underway, with six of the first eight planned sirens now in place. Additionally, the legislature passed [camp safety bills](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/03/texas-floods-emergency-management-coordinators-training-legislature/) following the deaths of 27 girls at Camp Mystic. These regulations require camps to implement strengthened emergency plans and relocate cabins away from flood-prone river areas. State data indicates that nearly 300 camps have already been licensed under these new requirements.
The January Legislative Timeline
The failure of the 2025 special session does not mean the issue of emergency management licensing is dead. State Sen. Charles Perry, a Republican from Lubbock who authored one of the failed licensing bills, indicated that the groundwork for reform has already been laid.
“We have work to do next session.
Chief Nim Kidd, Texas Division of Emergency ManagementPhoto: The Texas Tribune
Sen. Charles Perry, via The Texas Tribune
Legislators will have their next opportunity to address Kidd’s recommendations and the licensing issue when they return to the Capitol for the regular session in January. For now, the state’s emergency response capability remains dependent on the discretion of local officials to appoint qualified personnel.
Rachel specializes in American politics, public policy, and domestic affairs. She spent a decade reporting from Washington, D.C., before transitioning into editorial management. She leads the U.S. news desk, shaping coverage that explains political developments and national events with clarity and context.
