Abbott expected to sign flood safety bills Friday

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign three bills addressing camp safety and flood relief into law on Friday, Sept. 5 at 10:30 a.m.  These bills were sent to his desk during the second special session.

House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 were two of the final items passed by the Texas Legislature on Wednesday night before their final adjournment.  The pair of bills works in tandem with each other to promote camp safety, especially along floodplains and floodways.

HB1 changes the requirements to get a youth camp license to operate, and requires camps to renew their license within a month of:

~Altering the boundaries of a camp

~Constructs a new cabin

~Renovates a cabin leading to a change in bed space or a change in entries/exits

The bill also requires emergency plans for youth camps, not just for flood response, but for all types of disasters that may arise.  Along with their plan, camps must have a:

1. Designated “muster zone” for campers and camp staff to gather in the event of an evacuation
2. Procedure to account for each camper affected by the emergency
3. Procedure to notify local emergency management services, camp staff and parents
4. Camp emergency preparedness coordinator

Camps will also be required to have a weather radio and install a warning system that can work without access to the internet.  They also have to have a redundancy for if their internet connection fails.

SB1 controls where cabins are allowed to be located.  Camps can only have cabins within a floodplain if their nearest body of water is a still body (ponds, lakes, etc.) and they’re located 1,000 feet or more away from a floodway.  For cabins located in a floodplain, all must be equipped with an emergency ladder that accesses the cabin’s roof.

Senate Bill 3 increases the presence of flood warning sirens in flood-prone areas throughout the state.  The bill instructs the Texas Water Development Board (TWDP) to identify the highest-risk flood areas in the state.  All of the areas identified will be required to install, maintain and operate at least one outdoor warning sirens.  Under the bill, the state of Texas is authorized to help fund the siren construction, although the TWDP will not be able to approve any other financial assistance for a municipality until they’re compliant with SB 3.