Three sirens were activated in Kerr County during last week’s floods

Kerr County and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority say new sirens and other recent upgrades to the area’s flood warning system helped keep the public informed amid flooding last week.  According to UGRA General Manager Tara Bushnoe, three flood warning sirens were activated along the Guadalupe River under the county’s protocol.  Two sirens were sounded along the South Fork, and one was activated in Hunt.  Three other sirens were not activated since those sites recorded only minor flooding, according to Bushnoe.

Residents in some hard-hit areas said a year preparation did make a difference, the Associated Press reported.  Residents told the AP that phones buzzed with alerts that weren’t sent out in last year’s July 4 disaster.

Bushnoe also said that new emergency procedures and UGRA’s “RiverHub” dashboard aided in last week’s flood response.  The dashboard is designed to provide real-time information to both emergency crews and the public.  Officials said more improvements are planned, including additional gauges, better forecast modeling and more flood warning sirens.