Flooded Texas County Opposed Siren Alert System That Could Have Warned Residents Because of the Cost
www.latintimes.com
A Texas county rejected siren alert systems in the past due to high costs. But after recent flash floods, state and local officials face renewed questions.

A recent effort to bolster emergency communication infrastructure failed in the Texas Senate earlier this year

As the death toll from flash floods in Central Texas climbs past 80, scrutiny is mounting over Kerr County’s past decisions to reject an outdoor siren alert system due to cost concerns.

Kerr County, located in a flood-prone region of the Texas Hill Country, has previously dismissed proposals for siren-based warning systems, citing financial burden on local taxpayers.

A recent effort at the state level to bolster emergency communication infrastructure, House Bill 13, failed in the Texas Senate earlier this year. The bill would have funded improved disaster alert systems and provided grants for counties to build infrastructure like sirens and radio towers, according to the Texas Tribune.

Some lawmakers, including state Rep. Wes Virdell, voted against it due to its projected $500 million cost, though several now admit they’re reconsidering in the wake of recent events.

    • Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world
      131·
      4 days ago

      A lot of that area is remote or in canyons so cell service is spotty at best.

      Edit: that is to say, you need a dedicated system specifically for warnings like this with real power sources, physical alarm devices, and either hard wired data systems, or data systems that are on radio towers high enough up to actually function and function properly in bad weather.

      • evenglow@lemmy.world
        52·
        4 days ago

        Remote areas and canyons are not the problem this solution addresses. Have you ever heard of tornado sirens or air raid sirens?

        The bill would have funded improved disaster alert systems and provided grants for counties to build infrastructure like sirens and radio towers, according to the Texas Tribune.

        many residents are believed to have not seen the warnings due to them being issued in the early morning hours, or lacked access to mobile devices altogether.

        • Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world
          8·
          4 days ago

          Yeah, I was trying to tell the poster above why a cell message or triangulated gps signal wouldn’t work. This area is remote and needs proper infrastructure with dedicated alarms to function in a safety critical capacity.

          There are already tornado sirens in the area around Seguin, so clearly they can afford some kind of warning, but then using budget as the reasons to avoid spending on this kind of thing has always been a bad faith argument.

      • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
        2·
        4 days ago

        True, and maybe it would make sense for the county (or a cellphone company?) to invest in strategically located towers so that cell service would be less spotty in general there? Not just for this kind of emergency but also lost hikers etc.

        • Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world
          4·
          4 days ago

          I don’t think something of this risk should be left to individual, non-publicly maintained or controlled devices. This is specifically an area where the time to act is short and oftentimes the public is either in the river or river adjacent so they wouldn’t have their phone.

          That said, there should be better cell service for the reasons you listed, I just don’t think it is the solution to the loss of life here.