Sirens, gauges and flood prevention: What the Texas Legislature could do in response to Hill Country disaster

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Texas’ elected leaders are promising to address gaps in the state’s flood warning and mitigation systems after devastating flash floods killed more than 100 Texans over the July Fourth weekend.

Lawmakers will return to Austin July 21 for a special session ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott, who sets the agenda for these 30 day legislative sprints. The governor has promised flood response will be at the top of the list and suggested lawmakers will have wide latitude to consider a “top to bottom” response.

“We want to make sure that when we end that session, we end it making sure these communities are better, more resilient and have the resources that they need for the next chapter of their lives,” Abbott said at a press conference in Hunt on Tuesday. He added that the House and Senate will form committees as soon as this week.

Already, leaders of both chambers are laying out possible solutions. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who oversees the Senate, called for more sirens to warn people of approaching floodwaters and said the state should chip in the funds for communities that can’t afford them.

House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Republican from Lubbock, said his chamber would work with experts to identify and fund solutions like flood gauges, alert systems and escape plans.

“I want to assure you, the Texas House will be organized. We will be ready,” Burrows said Tuesday. “We stand willing and able to listen to the community and experts and do all that we can to help.

Flood warning systems

As the floodwaters receded in the Hill Country, revealing the devastation from a nearly 30-foot wall of water ripping through towns, summer camps and RV parks, questions are beginning to emerge about when and whether people were warned about the flood risks they faced that weekend.

Officials in Kerr County — the epicenter of the flood wreckage — have said the county’s size, and the remoteness of its communities, make it difficult to reach people to warn them before a disaster strikes. A decade ago, Kerr County officials considered building an early flood warning system and repeatedly asked the state for help funding the $1 million project. That funding never came, and the project fizzled, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Now, after more than 100 people died, including 30 children, and with 161 people missing in Kerr County alone, state leaders are signaling they will approve money for flood-prone areas to install these sorts of warning systems. Patrick said in an interview Monday that sirens “up and down these flash flood alleys” might have saved lives.

“Absolutely we can fund these,” Patrick said, adding he’d want them in place by next summer. “If the cities can’t afford it, we’ll do it.”

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican from Houston, said on X on Tuesday that he would file a bill to install these “old-tech” sirens, saying too many people ignore or silence “new-tech” phone alerts.

“It’s time to go back to what worked and still does in Tornado Alley,” Bettencourt said.

The Guadalupe River also needs more flood gauges and a radar rainfall system to better track rising waters, Phil Bedient with Rice University’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education, & Evacuation from Disasters Center, said in an op-ed this week.

The area also needs a modern flood tracking computer system, like those used in Houston, that would give local officials “near-instantaneous flood predictions — showing, for instance, whether a hospital or nursing home is likely to be inundated,” Bedient said.

In 2016, when Kerr County began its aborted attempts at upgrading its flood warning systems, the county’s emergency manager, Tony Leonard, said “the only warning system is me getting up in the middle of the night and looking at it.”

And it’s not just rural counties like Kerr. Bedient noted that San Antonio recently had deadly flooding and also needed more gauges, along with better alerts and escape plans.

Burrows cited Bedient’s op-ed in his post about special session plans, indicating he would consult with him and other experts in crafting a response. Local officials have said they’ll welcome the assistance, while encouraging lawmakers to ensure any legislation is tailored to specific areas.

“We need a practical warning system that will work for this area, and the key word there is practical,” Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring told the Tribune, adding that this area had challenges people from other areas might not consider, like lack of cell service, remote campgrounds and terrain that would make evacuations difficult.

Other lawmakers are calling to revive House Bill 13, which never got a hearing in the Senate during the regular session. The bill, authored by GOP Rep. Ken King of Canadian after last year’s Panhandle wildfires, would have created a new government council to establish emergency response plans and give counties grants for emergency communication equipment.

“Lives depend on early notification, and the ability to reach Texans quickly and clearly is essential to saving lives during fast-moving disasters,” Rep. Drew Darby, a Republican from San Angelo, said in a letter to Abbott Tuesday.

Darby’s district was also hit by flooding; Rep. Wes Virdell, who represents Kerrville, voted against HB 13, but told The Tribune he would reconsider that vote in light of what happened.

Flood mitigation efforts

In addition to better flood warnings, the special session will also provide lawmakers an opportunity to look at Texas’ flood mitigation systems.

After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the Texas Legislature passed three significant bills directing more than a billion dollars to flood control and emergency response. As a result of that legislation, the Texas Water Development Board issued its first statewide flood plan in 2024, to address the needs of nearly 6 million Texans — almost 20% of the state population — living in areas susceptible to flooding.

The 265-page report recommended $55 billion worth of projects to further evaluate flood risks, better manage floodplains and mitigate the effects of future flooding. The Flood Infrastructure Fund, created after Harvey, has only committed $669 million to these projects so far.

Last session, lawmakers passed a historic $20 billion investment in the state’s water infrastructure. But as part of that bill, the Flood Infrastructure Fund will be moved into the larger Texas Water Fund, and some experts worry it will result in less funding for flood mitigation as projects to increase water supply and improve aging infrastructure take precedence.

“Are we going to be putting enough into the water fund to be able to cover all the things that we need?” asked Perry Fowler, the executive director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network. “While it's still a significant amount, it wasn't as much as everyone hoped for, that we actually need to meet those demands.”

The Flood Infrastructure Fund can still receive other funding, separate from the water funding approved during the regular session. Since that money will be rolled out slowly — $1 billion a year until 2047 — Fowler said he hopes legislators will consider allocating more to the state’s flood mitigation systems during the special session.

“It's sad when you have to depend on a tragedy to move the needle,” Fowler said. “But there are a lot of competing interests out there, so sometimes this is what it takes to make progress, unfortunately.”

Rebuilding the Hill Country

Lawmakers are also expected to provide some short-term relief to help communities across the Hill Country recover from the floods. The economic toll is estimated to be between $18 and $22 billion, Accuweather said, accounting for damage to homes, businesses, tourism losses and the costs of recovery.

Abbott has committed to getting local officials what they need, and thanked the federal government for its swift response. President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration for the area, allowing people to access grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and low-cost loans for other needs.

Lawmakers have previously dipped into the state coffers to help with local disaster recovery, with a large chunk of the $1.7 billion Harvey package reserved for needs like repairing damaged buildings and infrastructure.

But people who lost everything in the floods say they need significant assistance to rebuild their lives.

Lorena Guillen owns Blue Oak RV Park and Howdy’s Restaurant on the same riverfront property in Kerrville. She awoke to a raging torrent and saw RVs getting swept away, including one with a family stuck inside. She is still struggling with trauma as she considers what the future looks like for her business.

“I pay $9,000 a week in payroll, and I have employees who are relying on that income because they lost things too,” she said, standing amid the wreckage Monday. “I need someone to help me make payroll, help me rebuild, and it’s going to cost so much money.”

Some experts hope to see lawmakers give cities and counties more tools to limit development in floodplains. Camp Mystic, the Christian girls summer camp that lost at least 27 campers and counselors, and other summer camps in the area, were built in high-risk flood zones. RV parks are often pushed into these areas as well.

“We can't have this race to the bottom where some places are just the Wild West, and they're able to build whatever they want while others are trying to be responsible stewards of safety and lower property damage,” Andrew Rumbach, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute who studies climate risk, told the Tribune this week.

Disclosure: Rice University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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