City officials in Kerrville were largely unprepared for the devastating floods that struck the Hill Country on July 4, according to newly released city communications, including emails and text messages obtained by KSAT through public records requests.
The documents include a text exchange involving Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, in which he jokingly referred to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as "basically homeland Barbie."
Hours before participating in a July 5 press conference alongside federal, state, and local officials to update the public on rescue efforts, Rice received a message from a city employee that read, "Just saw you met Homeland Barbie. How is she?"
Rice responded, "Basically homeland Barbie," followed by a string of laughter.
NOEM SAYS CRITICISM OF FEDERAL RESPONSE TO TEXAS FLOODING IS 'ALL POLITICS': 'DISSERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY'
The nickname, as well as similar terms like "ICE Barbie," has been used online to satirize Noem since she assumed her role as DHS secretary earlier this year.
Her handling of the flood crisis has drawn sharp criticism, particularly after it was revealed that changes to federal contract approval procedures delayed FEMA's deployment by approximately three days.
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Concerns have also emerged at the state and local levels.
Texas officials have long resisted implementing a warning siren system for the Guadalupe River, where the flooding proved most fatal. Additionally, a controversial reorganization by the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) resulted in the dismissal of a key National Weather Service emergency coordination officer just months before the disaster.
The tragedy has left Kerrville and surrounding communities demanding answers and reforms before the next storm strikes.
In response to mounting scrutiny, Secretary Noem defended the federal government's actions. "This was the fastest in history that FEMA has ever responded to a disaster," she said in a previous interview with Fox News. "Unlike FEMA's poor track record under the Biden administration, this time FEMA operated how President Trump wanted it to operate."
She added, "I'm very proud of the fact that we didn't go there and manage it. We went there and allowed the local officials to manage it, to run it. The state did a fantastic job. We're there to support and give them what resources they need."
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The catastrophic flooding claimed at least 137 lives across Texas, with 108 fatalities reported in Kerr County alone. Among the dead were 27 campers and staff members at Camp Mystic, a century-old Christian summer camp for girls in the town of Hunt.
Authorities are now investigating whether Camp Mystic officials received and appropriately responded to flash flood warnings prior to the tragedy.
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The incident has sparked broader questions about how youth camps and other vulnerable institutions assess and act on rapidly evolving weather threats.
Fox News Digital reached out to Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice and the Kerrville city officials, but did not receive a response.
Fox News' Stephen Sorace and Asher Redd contributed to this report.
