Kerr County summer camps install flood warning sirens

Kerr County camps affected by the July 4, 2025 floods have begun installing high-tech, flood warning sirens along the Guadalupe River.  A group of private donors is paying for 100 of the flood warning devices up and down the river, including sirens and warning lights at summer camps, including Camp Mystic.

Beginning in May, campers will be protected by siren and light towers built by a new company called River Sentry.  They detect severe flood waters and automatically sound an alarm without relying on external electricity or cell phone service.

The towers communicate with each other to trigger their sirens simultaneously.  100 devices will be staggered every two-and-a-half miles along the Guadalupe River and creeks that feed into it.  They use wireless technology that doesn’t need cell towers, to sound an early warning when flooding is detected upstream.  River Sentry claims its system will only go off when major flooding is occurring and will not sound false alarms.

Camp owners say they are confident in the technology, which is expected to be in place before Kerr County installs a flood system funded by tax dollars.