Kerrville city manager says he had weather alerts turned off on his phone

Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice revealed during an interview with NBC News that the weather alerts on his phone were turned off when catastrophic flooding swept through the Texas Hill Country July 4, killing more than 130 people.

“I actually think I had my weather report stuff turned off, if I’m being honest,” Rice said during the sit down interview, which took place in Kerrville and aired Monday.

“I mean, you’re the city manager,” NBC News correspondent Morgan Chesky responded. “Why would you have your weather alerts turned off?”

Rice said that he relies on first responders to pay attention to the weather, adding that he tries to avoid being bothered when he’s with his wife Anna and sons Rylan, Rhett and Ryker.

“Whether my stuff is on or not is really a moot point, because we have teams of experts who can navigate these [weather alerts],” Rice said.

The revelation was circulated as a standalone clip on NBC News social media accounts, sparking intense backlash in the comments section.

“If I had alerts on, I would have to do my job,” one person remarked.

“Texas doesn’t have anyone in their corner … Ted’s in Cancun or Greece this guy clocks in and turns off his ringer,” another wrote.

After the interview aired, Rice appears to have backtracked on his earlier admission. NBC posted a comment on the video this morning stating: “UPDATE: Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice tells Morgan Chesky that he checked his phone after this interview and that his weather alerts were turned on.”

In addition to Tuesday morning’s death toll of 132, a total of 101 people remain missing after the flood.

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed

Related Stories

Neo-fascist group claims it’s aiding in Texas flood recovery by helping ‘European peoples’

Right-wing extremist groups have exploited past natural disasters to recruit new blood to their movement, experts say.

AI deep fake of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bragging about deporting Mexican firefighters goes viral

It’s unclear who made the video, but experts have long warned that AI-generated content could be used to politically divide Americans.

Kristi Noem’s cost controls delayed FEMA deployment to Central Texas by several days

FEMA reportedly didn’t deploy key assets to the area until Monday due to a new rule requiring Noem to personally sign off on large expenditures.

Kerrville mayor says he wasn’t aware of state resources that Gov. Abbott said were in place ahead of flooding

The governor said Tuesday that the state had “assets, resources and personnel” in place before the July 4 floods.

Camp Mystic leader waited an hour to evacuate campers after receiving alert about Central Texas flooding

By that time he ordered an evacuation, the Guadalupe River had already risen to a historic 37.5-foot crest.

Kerrville officials say they’re getting threats for perceived missteps in flood response

A city councilwoman with the Texas Hill Country city is calling for increased security after ‘targeted threats.’

Head of FEMA Urban Search and Rescue reportedly resigns over frustration at Texas flood response

His resignation comes as complaints mount against the agency over its handling of flood relief in the Texas Hill County.

Number of people missing from Texas floods drops to 2 after discovery of woman’s body

The discovery leaves one girl from Camp Mystic and one adult male still missing two weeks after the disaster.

This article appears in Jul 10-23, 2025.