When catastrophic flooding struck the Texas Hill Country on July 4, 2025, more than 100 miles of the Guadalupe River corridor were impacted, creating one of the most complex public safety responses in the region's history. Join a Communications Unit Leader (COML) who deployed to the incident and experienced firsthand the challenges of establishing and maintaining interoperable communications in a rapidly evolving disaster environment.
This session examines the critical role of the Communications Unit during large-scale incident response, including coordinating communications resources across multiple jurisdictions, supporting life-safety operations, managing stakeholder expectations, and adapting to changing operational needs under extreme pressure. Attendees will gain practical lessons learned from the field, explore successful strategies employed during the response, and identify best practices for strengthening communications preparedness, interoperability, and resilience for future disasters.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the communications challenges faced during the Kerrville flood event and how they impacted multi-agency coordination across a large geographic area.
Identify effective strategies for establishing and maintaining interoperable communications during extended flood and severe weather incidents.
Evaluate lessons learned from the Kerrville response to improve agency communications preparedness, training, and equipment readiness for future disasters
