KERR COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — Nearly 10 months after deadly floodwaters tore through the Texas Hill Country, flood sirens are being installed along the Guadalupe River in an effort to prevent a similar tragedy.
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The Fourth of July flooding exposed gaps in the state’s warning system, leaving many residents with little to no notice as waters rapidly rose overnight.
Lorena Guillen, owner of Howdy’s Bar and Grill, said she experienced the devastation firsthand.
“It was horrific. It was terrible. Our house, we still live here next door, and I was awakened by the lights of the water rescue team. There were no sirens on at all.”
Guillen said the situation escalated quickly as waves of water moved through the area.
“We come out and there was 10 feet of water already, then the second wave came in and there was another 10 feet of water, then the third wave came in and that’s what went inside the restaurant.”
As the flooding unfolded, Guillen focused on getting people to safety.
“The only thing I could think of, at that particular moment, was get people out, get people out and get people out. Then later on, you start realizing… What happened with the sirens? There was no notification. There was no nothing.”
Now, flood sirens line parts of the Guadalupe River. The systems were created by River Sentry, a company founded by Ian Cunningham.
“It was especially close to home for me because I am a camp dad of two daughters, you know, it's only by time or circumstance that I couldn't have been involved,” Cunningham said.
The sirens are designed to function similarly to smoke alarms, detecting rising water and automatically triggering lights, sound and voice alerts instructing people to move to higher ground.
“We use sirens and sound scientifically and for a purpose, and that's to wake you up… about 80% of flood deaths occur at night,” Cunningham said.
River Sentry has already placed systems in some of the hardest-hit areas, including Camp Mystic, where 27 campers and counselors were swept away during last summer’s flooding.
“It happened so fast, but every minute counts. If we had 5, 10 more minutes in advance, we could have done something. One more person that could have been saved would have been worth it,” Guillen said.
By the end of April, 100 flood warning systems are expected to be installed along the banks of the Guadalupe River.
