INGRAM, Texas – City of Ingram council member Raymond Howard said he ignored warnings about the incoming severe weather that hit the Hill Country hard on July 4.
Howard now said he will push for the city to require the installation of warning sirens.
“I got three Flash Flood Warnings,” Howard told KSAT. “The first one, I sort of (Howard shrugs), ‘Eh, it’s always a flash flood. OK.’ Second one: I looked at my radar. I was like, ‘Uh, yeah.’ Third one: I got out and then came over and it was already at the top of the cliff here.”
Last weekend’s deadly floods have caused many to take a closer look at public alert systems in the flood-prone parts of Central Texas and the Hill Country.
During the last state legislative session, House Bill 13 aimed to create a statewide emergency response plan. The bill included the addition of outdoor warning signs to more communities.
However, the bill died in the state Senate.
State Senator Paul Bettencourt said he plans to file a new bill as soon as possible.
The bill would reinstate civil defense sirens with a focus on areas prone to flash floods in river valleys.
More recent coverage of the Hill Country floods on KSAT: