Officials in Texas' Hill Country have implemented significant changes to flood warning systems following a devastating disaster last year that claimed more than 100 lives. The updated measures, including newly installed flood sirens and enhanced alert systems, were put to the test this week as new storms brought catastrophic flash floods to some of the same areas, resulting in at least two deaths and hundreds of rescues.
Residents in some hard-hit regions reported that the preparations made a difference. Newly installed sirens sounded, and phones delivered alerts that were absent during the previous year's floods. However, the challenge of providing timely and localized warnings in a vast rural area, often referred to as "Flash Flood Alley," remains evident, as some individuals were still caught by surprise when their homes became inundated.
Last July, a flood event claimed 136 lives, including 28 children at a sleepaway camp, highlighting a lack of preparedness by government agencies and riverside camps. In response, state lawmakers and officials focused on improving early warning systems, bolstering safety rules for children's camps, and enhancing the state's water infrastructure.
Kerr County officials, who had been reluctant to issue widespread evacuation orders and wireless alerts in the prior year, issued four alerts this week. The city of Kerrville issued one alert on Thursday as flooding became apparent. These warnings, along with National Weather Service advisories and local emergency agency notifications, aimed to guide residents to higher ground.
"Last year, we got no alarms. We had no idea what was going on," said Suzanne Sutphin Gschwind of Kerrville. "This year, very different," she added, noting multiple texts and calls from authorities and weather channels.
The National Weather Service issued 38 alerts to communities in southwest Texas between Tuesday and Thursday morning, including tornado warnings and notifications about life-threatening flooding. However, the specificity of local municipal and county alerts can be crucial for immediate safety decisions, and some areas may not have received these localized notifications.
An Associated Press review of wireless emergency alert data did not find any alerts sent by agencies in Uvalde County, though authorities there may have used other communication methods. Jaclyn Gonzales in the Uvalde area was awakened by a friend's call about a potential tornado, only to discover her home was already flooding. In Batesville, Kat Sprawls learned of rising waters after multiple calls from a friend, having her phone on do-not-disturb mode.
"There's no warning system at all. It's just like the flood in Kerrville last year — we had no warnings," Sprawls said. "Over half of Batesville is under water now."
Zavala County Sheriff's Department officials reported that law enforcement officers were conducting door-to-door checks in affected areas, including Batesville, and updating their Facebook page with evacuation information.
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, who sponsored legislation to fund flood warning sirens, confirmed that newly installed sirens in Ingram, Kerr County, and Kendall County were utilized this week. Funding is available for 28 additional counties, many of which are in the process of developing implementation plans. "Between the outdoor sirens, and the cellphone alerts, the response was very positive in getting people out of the way and to higher ground," Bettencourt stated. "It’s an enormous improvement over a year ago."
Three of six new sirens in Kerr County were activated to warn residents, according to Tara Bushnoe, manager of the Upper Guadalupe River Authority. In Comfort, where the volunteer fire department recently added two sirens to its existing one, assistant fire chief Danny Morales noted that some residents are reluctant to evacuate despite the warnings.
Ian Cunningham, founder of River Sentry, developed flood siren towers for private sites like RV parks and camps after the 2025 floods. His company has installed 104 sirens along the Guadalupe River, including near a site where 37 people died in 2025. "We installed them about three months ago and did not expect them to be used so soon," Cunningham said.
Hononu has developed water-level sensor technology and a real-time data network, and has a state contract to facilitate agencies' purchase of its flood warning technology. The fire-tracking app Watch Duty also expanded its services this year to include flood monitoring.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stated that lessons learned from the 2025 disaster have led to a more prepared emergency response this year. "Everybody in Texas has been far more prepared to deal with what has happened this year," Abbott said during a news conference in Uvalde. "Lives have been saved."