Can sirens help save lives in the next flood? Yes, but there’s more to it.

Floodwaters stained the walls of an apartment in Ingram on July 5, 2025. As lawmakers ponder how to respond the the deadly Hill Country floods, experts say warning sirens are just one tool that should be deployed. (Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune)

---

The National Weather Service issued cellphone alerts repeatedly in Kerr County as the Guadalupe River rose early Friday morning. Around the north and south forks that feed the river, forecasters triggered one push alert after another, according to PBS data.