LEANDER -- The mayor of Leander expressed frustration Friday with Travis County officials for their response to devastating flooding in northern areas of the county, saying they declined offers for mutual aid that could have provided additional assistance to residents in the early days after the weekend storms.
While not saying whether any offers of aid from Leander were denied, Travis County officials said a collaborative plan was developed to get crews and equipment to the neediest areas.
Leander Mayor Christine DeLisle on Friday said little communication early on left residents affected by floods confused about where to turn for aid. Most of the city is in Williamson County, but the area where much of the flooding damage occurred along Big Sandy Creek is in Travis County.
"There has been a lot of frustration in our community, a lot of emotions and a lot of anger," DeLisle said during a news conference Friday. "There are a lot of questions that need to be answered by Travis County that I cannot answer."
Travis County officials have been on the ground since the beginning, Travis County Emergency Services District #1 Fire Chief Donnie Norman said in a letter he posted to Facebook.
"We understand that in times of crisis, rumors and misinformation can quickly spread, so we wanted to provide some clarity and reassurance," said the letter posted Friday. "Since the early morning hours of Saturday Travis County ESD #1 crews have been working tirelessly around the clock. Additional support from regional response partners joined the mission in the early morning hours of July 5, and a formal Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated. Our teams have continued nonstop with incident management, search and rescue operations, and regular emergency response duties."
The letter continued by saying "we know waiting for help can be frustrating, especially when it appears resources are delayed. Requests for additional support were made very early in the incident. Within 72 hours, state resources were mobilized and deployed to support local operations. ... Over the next 48 hours, even more help arrived, including specialized Search Task Forces from across the country, such as California and Florida."
ESD officials also have been coordinating with other local entities to ensure residents who can't evacuate because of a closed bridge will get emergency services, the letter said.
It did not say if or why any offers of assistance were turned away. Norman did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
"Travis County has been working tirelessly with all local and state partners to actively respond to the flooding emergency," Hector Nieto, a spokesman for Travis County, said in email Friday. "Partners include Travis County Emergency Services Districts, the Texas Department of Emergency Management, and local governments, including the City of Leander and Leander Independent School District. There will be ample time to do after-action reports when the emergency has passed."
He did not respond to a request for comment about if any offers of assistance were turned down.
However, DeLisle said Travis County officials declined offers for mutual aid, including boats, dive teams and drones, in the hours initially following the floods.
"It's very frustrating to see what's going on and be turned away," DeLisle said.
The Sandy Creek neighborhood is outside Leander's city limits, but city-based emergency responders can provide assistance to the county in times of crisis.
After posting a statement Friday morning calling for quicker aid from Travis County to Sandy Creek neighborhood residents, DeLisle told reporters Friday afternoon that she'd spoken with Travis County Judge Andy Brown and that communication would likely be better going forward.
"I'm very hopeful that starting today we're on better footing to communicate with residents whether they're inside or outside the city," DeLisle said.
Leander's emergency responders did help Travis County when it was requested, Fire Chief Billy Wusterhausen said at the news conference. He said there also were times Leander offered help that Travis County officials said they already had something covered.
"The part that is hard to understand is that when we say 'the needs are being met,' it may not mean that it's right now," Wusterhausen said. "It may mean that a team has identified that and will be working on it. During these states of disasters, the resources that you're looking for typically don't come right away."
The primary events during disaster response is safety first and then property and environmental protection, Wusterhausen said.
"Communication is always a challenge and now it's even more of a challenge with the different forms of media that we have," Wusterhausen said.
On Friday, President Donald Trump announced a presidential disaster declaration for the flooding in Travis, Williamson and Burnet counties, greenlighting the Central Texas counties' ability to access aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Many residents have felt frustrated with the assistance, said Katherine Waggoner, who has been helping to coordinate volunteer response at Round Mountain Baptist Church in the Sandy Creek neighborhood. The church has been a staging area for volunteers and more organized relief groups, as well as a place for people to pick up necessities like water, clothes and ice.
Waggoner has been volunteering since the immediate aftermath of the Saturday floods and has seen local governmental entities present, but volunteers have been helping to point them to where people need assistance, she said.
In the past few days, organized disaster relief organizations have been providing more significant aid, Waggoner said.
"We're excited to see bigger organizations take over," she said,"and get people some help in lasting ways."