The overview
Legislators filed the flood response proposals after hearing from officials, experts and Central Texas residents during emotional committee meetings in Austin and Kerrville in July. Bills advanced by state senators Aug. 8 could require warning sirens to be installed in flood-prone communities and expand emergency training requirements for local leaders.
“Everybody wants something tomorrow. ... It's going to require some coordination, but we intend to push really hard and really fast,” said Sen. Charles Perry, a Lubbock Republican who chairs the Senate’s Disaster Preparedness and Flooding Committee.
A House panel also advanced several flood-related bills Aug. 8, including measures aimed at strengthening communication among first responders and preparing recreational campgrounds for floods. Those proposals were placed on the House’s Aug. 12 calendar; however, as of press time, the lower chamber did not have enough members present to pass legislation after dozens of Democrats left the state Aug. 3 to protest a congressional redistricting effort.
“I know those of us present are eager to take action on [those bills],” House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, said on the House floor Aug. 11. “The only thing standing between Texas and real disaster relief is whether our absent colleagues decide to show up tomorrow.”
Some Texas Democrats have argued that Gov. Greg Abbott can provide funding and resources to flooded communities without new legislation, noting that he previously set aside state funds for school security in the wake of a 2022 shooting in Uvalde and for border security measures in 2021.
“Texas law explicitly gives the governor the authority to use all available resources of the state government during disasters,” Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, told reporters Aug. 7. “He can act today.”
Texas lawmakers have until Aug. 19, the end of the 30-day special legislative session, to pass legislation on flood relief, redistricting and other topics. Abbott has the authority to call additional sessions at any time.
Zooming in
Some cities and counties in Central Texas would be required to install and maintain outdoor flood warning sirens under Senate Bill 2, one of the proposals advanced by the Senate committee Aug. 8. The bill would direct the Texas Water Development Board to identify areas impacted by the July 4-5 floods that have “a history of consistent or severe flooding” and mandate that local governments install sirens if they do not already have them.
SB 2 would also authorize the governor’s office to distribute up to $50,000 in grants to help communities install flood warning sirens.
“Many rural river systems in Flash Flood Alley are home to youth camps, campsites, RV parks and other large gathering sites near flood-prone rivers,” bill author Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said Aug. 8. “With limited cellphone connectivity in parts of this region, we need to go back to what I call ‘old school technology’—outdoor warning sirens, which we know work.”
John Hofmann, an executive vice president with the Lower Colorado River Authority, said requiring warning sirens to be installed in flood prone communities would “make a real difference to protect lives and property.”
“Experience has taught us that conditions during flooding events can change very quickly,” Hofmann told the committee. “This bill would also give our local emergency coordinators and elected officials another tool in their toolbox for public notification. ... Adding warning sirens at crucial points throughout Flash Flood Alley could have a real impact on public safety.”
The nine-member Senate committee unanimously voted to send SB 2 to the full Senate on Aug. 8.
More details
The Senate panel also unanimously approved Senate Bill 1, a sweeping proposal that Perry said would help close “gaps in our emergency responses at the local level.”
Perry said he thought some local leaders in areas that flood frequently are “resistant” to issuing evacuation orders.
“We had some warning systems in place, but what we didn't have is leadership willing to do an [evacuation] call at the right time,” Perry said. “So now it's not optional. ... SB 1 will give you the tools to make that call, and you're going to make that call more than you're going to need it. I'm not going to apologize for that.”
Under SB 1, summer camps and campgrounds located in 100-year floodplains, as identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, would be required to create flash flood evacuation plans and evacuate campers during flash flood warnings. Those campgrounds would also need to ensure campers can climb onto rooftops as floodwaters rise, Perry said, noting that this would be “a last resort” when “the rain dumps on top of us quicker than we thought.”
Perry’s bill would also:
- Require all local emergency management coordinators to be licensed and complete annual training through the Texas Division of Emergency Management
- Create a mass fatality training program for local justices of the peace
- Allow justices of the peace to skip autopsies if it is clear that a person died due to a natural disaster
- Mandate chains of command to ensure local governments have a designated emergency management director if local leaders are unavailable
- Create a working group to develop a statewide system of flood gauges and meteorological equipment
- Establish a statewide volunteer management database and require background checks for volunteers responding to natural disasters
