Did the newly installed flood sirens in the Texas Hill Country work?
As floodwaters surged through the Texas Hill Country early Thursday morning, officials credited recently installed flood-warning sirens with providing critical alerts to people living and camping near the Guadalupe River.
At about 3:30 a.m., six privately installed flood sirens near campsites in Ingram activated as rising water triggered sensors. The sensors had been strategically positioned between the river and nearby sleeping areas to ensure the warnings would sound before floodwaters reached campsites.
As a result of being placed near the river, three of the sirens were damaged by the fast-moving water, but officials with River Sentry, the company that installed the system, said the equipment performed as intended.
In a Facebook post, the company wrote that the damage was acceptable because the system "accomplished its purpose".
The private warning network is one of several new flood-alert systems added along the Guadalupe River since last year's deadly flooding.
Just two months ago, six additional state-funded flood sirens were installed in Kerr County. Officials said those sirens also activated during Thursday's flooding.
Brief issue with one of the sirens
Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledged a brief issue with one of the sirens but said the overall system functioned effectively.
"Sometime before four this morning, there was a triggering of the siren that did not go off immediately," Abbott said during a news conference. "But it was triggered again five minutes or 10 minutes later, and it did go off at that time. So for all practical purposes, the functionality of the sirens worked just fine."
In response to last year's flooding, Texas lawmakers allocated $50 million to expand flood warning systems across the state.
While Kerr County's newest sirens are already operational, many other Hill Country counties are still awaiting installation. State officials said 29 counties have been approved for funding and are currently in various stages of planning and construction.
The state has also expanded its network of river sensors and gauges along the Guadalupe River. Recent upgrades include the launch of RiverHub, a public website that provides real-time river level data and other flood information.
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, author of Senate Bill 3, which funded the flood sirens, said Thursday that the system appears to have achieved its intended purpose and that it helped save lives.
