Decades of Delay:
Texas Legislature's Inaction on Flood Warning Puts All Texans at Risk
In the past few decades, Texas has faced repeated and deadly flooding events—yet the state legislature has consistently failed to invest adequately in flood warning systems and emergency preparedness. They must be held accountable for this failure, in light of the recent devastating floods in the Texas Hill Country, where swollen rivers, overwhelmed infrastructure, and delayed warnings led to destruction and loss of more than 100 lives across communities like Kerrville, Austin, Leander, and Georgetown.
The roots of Texas's flood vulnerability lie in its geography and weather patterns, but the impact of poor legislative follow-through is human-made. After the catastrophic 2015 Memorial Day floods, which killed over 20 people in Central Texas, local officials pleaded with the state for better river gauges, early warning systems, and communication networks. While some progress was made, a consistent, well-funded statewide system has not been prioritized or implemented.
The Invading Sea reports that fewer than 1% of U.S. rivers and streams are monitored by flood gauges, largely due to funding limitations—even though these are critical for flood warnings. Small or rural communities bear much of the installation and maintenance burden. A recent ProPublica investigation highlights that rural counties like Kerr County frequently rely on opt‑in systems (e.g. CodeRED) which are limited in reach and effectiveness.
The Texas legislature failed to pass recent bills that would have provided for flood warning systems, including HB 13 in 2025 and an unrelated HB 13 in 2019 (Flood Infrastructure Funding). However, SB87 was passed in 2019 and provided $1.7 billion toward flood mitigation, a much smaller amount than the $3 million that was proposed. According to The Texas Tribune, Kerr County commissioners discussed installing flood warning systems almost two dozen times since 2016, but never funded them—even after getting a $10.2 million ARPA windfall—opting instead to spend ARPA funds on radio communications and other purposes
Allocation for real-time flood detection, emergency sirens, and local communication systems—particularly in rural or fast-developing areas like the Hill Country—remained piecemeal and underfunded.
This underinvestment is playing out in tragic detail once again in the Hill Country. Many residents reported that on July 4, they received little to no warning. In Llano County, emergency officials acknowledged they relied on social media and word-of-mouth to alert residents. In Burnet County, a critical river gauge on the Pedernales was offline due to outdated equipment.
These failures are not due to lack of knowledge or technology. The National Weather Service and academic institutions like the University of Texas have provided flood modeling and risk forecasts for years. But implementing early warning systems requires political will and funding—both of which have been lacking in the Texas Legislature.
With a special session of the Legislature due to begin on July 21, the issue of providing adequate warning systems and emergency mitigation for floods and other critical weather situations should be the first item of business. No other issue should take priority. Without systemic investment in real-time flood monitoring and communication tools, experts warn, Texans will remain vulnerable to floods that could potentially be mitigated, if not entirely prevented. The flood waters in Hill Country may recede, but the consequences of political inaction remain.