Austin (KXAN) – legislators in the state can soon return to the Capitol given better warnings of floods in Texas. A few days after the rush of the Guadalobi River over its banks and the killing of dozens in the province of Kiir, the governor of the state, Greg Abbott, confirmed to reporters that the special session on the horizon will focus on this critical issue.
Abbott said during a press conference on Sunday at the government emergency operations center in Austin: “(It is) the way to respond to what happened in Kurville.”
After the end of the regular session in May, Abbott announced that he would contact the legislators on July 21. It is not clear whether this special session will include any topics related to floods; It can be reserved for a subsequent private session.
In 2023, Abbott called four special sessions, which could only address the issues that the ruler clarifies. Abbot’s first agenda for the next private session includes the organization of THC, human trafficking and theft of the title, among other elements. Special sessions may last up to 30 days, but they can end sooner.
Emergency decisions for leaders
“Just sending the message is not the same to receive the message.”
“We need to educate the audience about what to do when they get the notifications,” Kaid added, in reference to weather warnings and how remote areas may not be able – such as the rural CARE province.
Regarding the time of national weather service, communication and potential impact to reduce the agency’s federal financing, Abbott said he knows “nothing about employment.” KXan reported the local NWS office, which covers the CARE province, currently six vacancies out of 26 positions, some of which are meteorologists. NWS and TDEM did not respond directly to KXAN about these numbers yet.
“We need to spend a lot of time trying to answer this question,” Kid indicated, and he talked in general about another review of the warnings that precede the deadly flood.
When Kxan Abbott asked whether a draft law was recently displayed to help local governments obtain emergency communication equipment-such as sirens-we will return to appearing, he replied, “It will be something that will be seen (in the private session).”
KXan mentioned for the first time House Law 13 – Which was not valid until September 1, if approved – aimed at establishing a council to operate a grant program for this purpose. It would have been developing a strategic plan at the state level that included “using outdoor warning sirens.” The council could also be asked to “develop and implement an emergency alert systems, such as integrating the necessary communication technologies into the emergency communications network in this state.”
One of the draft authors, MP Joe Modi, Di Il Passo, told KXAN to add the case to the invitation of the “next special session”.
“I have composed HB 13 because this is a field of public safety that needs great and immediate attention,” Modi said in a statement sent on Sunday. “The last thing we can tolerate is not to do anything. We must explore all the methods and turn it into a concrete policy now.”
The draft law was stopped in the Senate Finance Committee, as it did not respond to a hearing. However, the full house 129-18 was passed on the final reading. Among those voting against the procedure, MP Wes Firel, R Brady, who represents the province of Kiir in the legislative body. KXAN has communicated with Vindell to comment but did not receive a response.
Kxan media partner, Texas Tribune mentioned on Sunday He said that Vordell – who was with the first respondents looking for victims and survivors during the weekend – said he would decide differently based on his last experience.
He told The Outlet: “I can tell you too late, and he is watching what it takes to deal with a catastrophe like this, and my vote may be different now,” he told The Outlet.
Care County warning concerns
At a press conference on Friday, the Kiir Rob Kelly Province judge said that he “cannot answer” why the camps were not evacuated along the river – where many deaths occurred – but we confessed: “We have no warning system.”
The next day, a Change.org is broad onlineThe “urgently” launched the call to Kerrville and Kerr County to implement the outdoor outdoor alarm system for life -threatening emergency situations, such as floods. By Sunday, the petition had more than 200 signatures.
Outdoor weather alert systems are not required by any federal or state law. The option is left even local leaders. Alarms are usually activated by city or boycott officials, according to NWS.
Cities that use sirens, such as San Marcus – that have14 outdoors to warn floods, hurricanes and forest firesThe outdoor warning system has already been described as aA “vital tool”To prepare for emergency. Alarm sirens, called the outdoor warning system, are designed to notify a high society and a high voice of public safety threats, including harsh weather. San Marcos notes the sirens of alarm unique sound patterns for different emergency situations.
Critics say the devices can be expensive, require regular maintenance, and are primarily designed to hear them in the open air and are not effective like radio and mobile alerts. It can cost a single warning sirensIt is estimated between 10,000 to 50,000 dollarsSometimes multiple needed.
inInterview with the New York TimesKelly said that one of the reasons why CARE province does not have a flood warning system is the cost.
“The taxpayers will not pay for it,” Kelly said to the director. When asked if the population might be reviewed now, he replied, “I don’t know.”
Details of the floods for years
According to the Kiir Provincial Court Acts on May 12, officials recently considered a presentation from the Gawadalabi Upper River Authority on “developing a flood warning system for CARE province.” But this will not be the first time that the leaders of the region have heard such plans.
In 2018, the province, along with UGRA, applied for a $ 1 million grant for a flood warning system.
“This request has not been chosen, well. This is the bad news,” said one of the commissioners, according to the minutes of the provincial committee’s meetings at that time.
Two years later, in 2020, according to the provincial meetings minutes, this commissioner himself said: “We are trying to obtain a new warning system here.”
This 2020 meeting is when the boycott is implementedIPAWS, or an integrated public warning system Through Fema, a free program that is presented through an existing contract withCodingThe system currently uses the province for the pre -registered mass telephone messages, according toIts website on the Internet. ProgrammerIt is also used in KurvilleWith a warning that depends on white pages data, it should not be “supposed to be listed.”
In updating the strategic plan for UGRA for the fiscal year 2025 – the latest latest published on its website – the agency included the goal of “evaluating and implementing resources to warn floods in the water gatherings in Guadalobi.” It included this goal, UGRA aims to “work with local partners to develop a CARE province’s flooding system.” The schedule submitted by this point detailed, rejected or rejected many failed attempts, or is waiting for this over the past decade:
- In January 2017, UGRA has partnered with Kiir Province in the FEMA warning request for $ 980,000. The project was not chosen for financing and most of the money went to the societies affected by Hurricane Harvey.
- During the previous reports period, a prior application was provided to a wide flood warning system to the Texas Fund for the Development of the Infrastructure. The project was invited to submit a full request, but UGRA decreased due to the low match (5 %) provided by the grant.
- UGRA participated in the update to the risk mitigating plan in the Kiir Province, which takes risks, including floods. The final plan was presented to Fema in April 2025.
- During this reporting period, UGRA requested quotes to get a flood warning panel that combines multiple sources of data in one tool. The project will also recommend future improvements in flood warning equipment. Information from this dashboard will be used by UGRA staff, local emergency coordinators and decision makers. A contractor was chosen for this project in April 2025.
KXan awaits responses from the provincial judge, commissioners, UGRA, Twdb and Fema regarding these details and any decisions you made.