Shortly after 3 a.m. on Thursday, Joe Swann received a report from a patron at a riverside bar in Ingram, Texas, that rising floodwaters had activated a newly installed flood‑warning device. The unit flashed a bright light and sounded an audible alert.
The device instructed, “Move away from the tower,” warning the nearby campground. When Mr. Swann arrived to observe the scene, campers were already evacuating to higher ground.
Mr. Swann and his company, River Sentry, had placed 100 eight‑foot‑tall units along the Guadalupe River in the year following a devastating flood that swept the Hill Country on July 4 of the previous year, killing dozens—including many children at summer camp. Additional flood‑siren systems, funded by state and private sources, also activated during this week’s flooding, affecting many of the same communities hit last summer.
This activation proved effective, although it could not avert at least two fatalities. In Kerrville, where floodwaters damaged neighborhoods still recovering from last summer’s disaster, Mayor Joe Herring Jr. confirmed that all residents had been accounted for by Thursday night.
“We received far better warning this time,” he said in a telephone interview.
“I appreciate the efforts of the State of Texas and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority in deploying an automated, data‑driven warning system,” he added. “Those measures helped save lives today.”
Nevertheless, the recent flooding highlighted the ongoing need for investment in enhanced forecasting and warning systems, according to Phil Bedient, a professor at Rice University who is involved in such initiatives.
“It’s encouraging to see the sirens activate,” Dr. Bedient remarked about the new system. “However, a truly effective early‑warning flood system requires additional components beyond sirens alone.”
Following last July’s tragedy, Texas authorities committed substantial resources to flood‑warning infrastructure. The state legislature and Governor Greg Abbott (R) authorized $50 million for warning systems, rain and river gauges, and related flood‑mitigation projects.
Much of this funding had already been deployed before this week’s storms, including sirens that sounded across Kerr County—the area that suffered the most severe flooding last summer.
Additional improvements remain underway.
The Upper Guadalupe River Authority, which oversees the river’s health, installed new sirens in May and reported that three of them were triggered this week in areas experiencing significant flooding. General Manager Tara Bushnoe said the authority intends to add more sirens, river and rain gauges, and to develop predictive models for improved flood forecasting.
Dr. Bedient and a team from the University of Texas at Arlington are employing $4 million in state funds to create a radar‑based rainfall monitoring system that incorporates computer models to simulate various flood scenarios. The aim is to extend the advance notice provided by warning systems such as flood sirens, he explained.
“With this information, operators will be able to activate sirens before floodwaters arrive,” Dr. Bedient noted.
Researchers at Texas Tech University are allocating an additional $24 million in state funding to expand radar coverage and enhance meteorological analysis throughout the Hill Country and other rural regions of Texas where flood risk is elevated but forecasting remains limited.
River Sentry deployed the devices—including the units that warned campers in Ingram—using private financing spearheaded by the owners of Camp Mystic, the site where 28 children and counselors perished in last July’s flood. Ian Cunningham, CEO of River Sentry, said each unit costs approximately $8,000.
Headquartered in the Austin area, the company intends to enhance the system by linking the devices via wireless communication and introducing compact, portable sensors that individuals can carry to receive flood alerts and summon assistance when necessary, Mr. Cunningham said.
Mr. Cunningham, who also flies as an American Airlines pilot, drew on his U.S. Navy experience to spearhead River Sentry’s rapid deployment of the flood‑warning network, motivated by his two daughters who attend summer camp.
“We cannot allow a repeat of last summer’s tragedy here,” Mr. Cunningham stated.
Pooja Salhotra contributed reporting.
