BRUCEVILLE-EDDY, Texas (KXXV) — Bruceville-Eddy Councilmember Richard Prater is working with State Rep. Pat Curry to implement a severe weather alert system and backup generator for the community's senior center after years of flooding and power outage issues.
- Flooding concerns: The Taylor Senior Center experiences flooding that brings 1-2 inches of water inside, causing food spoilage and safety issues for elderly residents and those in mobile homes.
- New safety measures: City council and State Rep. Pat Curry are collaborating on a severe weather alert system and backup generator, building on the existing Savvy Citizen app for power outage notifications.
- Community impact: The 50-year-old senior center serves affordable meals three days weekly and acts as a storm shelter, making reliable power and early warning systems critical for protecting vulnerable residents.
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Bruceville-Eddy is working to enhance public safety with a new severe weather alert system and backup power for its senior center, addressing the community's vulnerability to Central Texas storms.
Herma Turner, one of the leaders at the Taylor Senior Center in the community, has experienced firsthand how severe weather impacts residents. The center has faced multiple power outages over the years, causing significant problems.
"I would lose a lot of meat and products which we really rely on for this community," Turner said.
The flooding issues are particularly concerning for the area.
"We can end up with one or two inches of water inside our door," Turner said. "We run into some flooding issues especially in front of our door."
Currently, the city uses an app called Savvy Citizen to alert residents when power outages occur. However, Turner believes a new siren system would significantly improve public safety for the community's vulnerable population, which consists of several mobile homes.
"We're talking about lives here and we're talking about elderly people and we're talking about a community that has a lot of mobile and manufactured homes," Turner said.
City council member Richard Prater and State Rep. Pat Curry are collaborating on a plan to integrate a severe weather alert system. The proposal also includes installing a backup generator for the senior center, which has experienced numerous power outages throughout the years.
"I'm certain that the flood-prone areas are going to have a priority but there's enough money there to handle other areas as well," Curry said.
Curry noted that while there is a siren just outside the city, it rarely activates.
"Every community in Central Texas is important and when local leaders decide that they are going to take on an issue such as this I am going to support it," Curry said.
The Taylor Senior Center has served the community for approximately 50 years, offering affordable meals three days per week and functioning as a shelter during severe storms.
"Just these little things that we can get like a generator, like a tornado siren or better weather alerts can help save lives," Turner said.
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