New flood warning sirens being tested along Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]Soon, new flood warning sirens are now being test tested along the Guadalupe River in the Hill Country. The Upper Guadalupe River Authority says the system is in its final testing phase nearly 10 months after the deadly July 4th floods. KENS 5's Stahlecker explains how the sirens work and what people living near the river need to know.

[00:00:21]Many in the Texas Hill Country say they're ready for a new siren system because last year, they say there weren't many protocols in place during the 4th of July floods. The Upper Guadalupe River Authority started siren tests on Thursday and will continue until this Friday. The River Authority says you may hear one or more 30-second tests to make sure the sirens are working properly. This first phase of sirens are at youth camps in flash flood areas in the north and south fork of the Guadalupe River in West Kerr County.

[00:00:47]These warning beacons are a part of the Guadalupe River flood warning system being created by the River Authority and Kerr County. This system will create a network of river and rain gauges to monitor and report flood conditions every 5 minutes. If the water is too high, the River Authority and Kerr County can both sound the sirens and keep everyone safe. They also plan to create an online system for anyone to access river and rainfall conditions.

[00:01:12]Earl Stahlecker, KENS 5.