KERRVILLE, Texas — Texas lawmakers grilled Kerr County leaders Thursday about their whereabouts when deadly floodwaters raged through the Guadalupe River July 4, accusing them of essentially being missing in action when it mattered most. They learned one was sick in bed, another was asleep, and a third was at Lake Travis with his family.

A public hearing on the fatal July 4 flash floods in Kerr County, Texas, revealed that officials believe no alert system could have prevented the disaster, while victims' families and a state official are calling for changes and criticizing the local judge's absence.