The top emergency coordinator in Kerr County, Texas, said he had been sick the day before catastrophic flooding hit Central Texas but defended his response.

“To those who ask, what would you have done differently? The honest answer is that, based on the data we had at the time, there was no clear indicator that a catastrophic flood was imminent,” William “Dub” Thomas said Thursday during a joint hearing held by the Texas Senate and House’s select committees on disaster preparedness, his first public remarks since the tragedy.

“The situation evolved faster than anyone could have predicted,” he added.

Devastating flooding in Central Texas killed at least 138 people over the July 4 weekend. In the weeks since the tragedy, Thomas has come under scrutiny for his absence from key city counc

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