State of Texas: After deadly floods, new warning system aims to save lives

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:05]Less than a year after more than 130 people died during the July 4th floods, new outdoor weather warning systems are being installed.

[00:00:14]After the tragedy, state lawmakers pushed for stronger warning systems in flood-prone areas. As Matt Grant shows us, the first sirens are in place in Kerr County, part of a broader effort to give Texans more time to get out of harm's way.

[00:00:27]Sirens have just been installed along the Guadalupe River. A priority for lawmakers to have them in place before the start of camp season.

[00:00:36]In an area that's seen tragedy, new systems are now in place to prevent another. In Kerr County, six outdoor warning sirens are now installed and functional, each with a 2-mi diameter represented in circles on this map released by the Upper Guadalupe River Authority.

[00:00:51]>> Our goal as a board is to return a feeling of preparedness and safety to the Upper Guadalupe River.

[00:00:58]>> The UGRA, which faced lawmaker criticism for not having sirens, says over the next year it will install more, along with new river gauges, but admits it may not be possible to install sirens in all locations prone to flooding. If we were to put in all of the sirens that were shown on the map, it would be in the neighborhood of 130 sirens, and we do not think that is reasonable. Officials say the sirens will be at least 50 ft tall. They'll broadcast alert tones and voice messages, run on two forms of power, and will be controlled locally and remotely from two base stations in Kerrville. River Authority officials say it will work to educate the public about the meaning of different sounds and tones, and will have a river hub website where people can view real-time data. I think this is one time where government actually got with it and got the job done. Republican State Senator Paul Bettencourt was among the first to call for warning sirens days after the July 4th flooding. In the aftermath, Governor Abbott signed SB3 requiring 30 flood prone counties to install and maintain sirens with each eligible for more than a million dollars in grant money. Kerr County is now the first. The key thing is you don't have to evacuate the county. You just have to get to higher ground and get away from the of the the water surge.

[00:02:15]So I think it's really important. The UGRA would not say where those six sirens are located only telling us that they're on private property. We filed several public records requests to find out more information. An additional two are expected to go up by June 1st, but locations for those have not yet been finalized. In Hunt, Mac Rands, State of Texas.

[00:02:35]And according to Senator Bettencourt's office the river authority used reserve funds to pay for the siren project. It will be reimbursed by the Texas Water Development Board.

[00:02:44]State lawmakers approved $50 million to deploy sirens, sensors, and other flood safety measures in the area of the state known as flash flood alley.

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