Gov. Greg Abbott named nearly 20 issues to the special session agenda, including flood relief, hemp THC restrictions and redistricting.

One of the biggest revelations came from Chief Nim Kidd, head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management and a former San Antonio firefighter. Kidd described showing up in the flood zone with his radio—only to find he couldn’t communicate with his own San Antonio Fire Department colleagues.

Governor Greg Abbott will introduce flood preparedness legislation at Monday's special session following deadly July 4th flooding.

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas state lawmakers gathered at the Capitol Wednesday to examine the catastrophic July 4th flooding that killed more than 130 people in the Hill Country, with officials identifying major communication breakdowns that hampered emergency response efforts during the disaster.

Lawmakers are back in Austin for a monthlong special legislative session, focused on redistricting, flood mitigation and response, and laws around consumable hemp products. The issues are just some of the topics before lawmakers after they adjourned in June.

The committees will be looking at warning systems, emergency communications, relief funding for the Hill Country floods, and overall natural disaster preparation.

The search for victims of deadly flooding in Texas Hill Country is headed into its third week as officials try to pin down exactly how many people remain missing.

A large percentage of people still unaccounted for were probably visiting the area, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said.

Authorities determined that three people are still missing from the floods, a sharp drop from the approximately 100 people authorities had previously said were unaccounted for.

U.S. President Donald Trump actually sent 700 U.S. Marine Corps troops to Los Angeles in June 2025 — alongside 4,000 National Guard troops.