AUSTIN, Texas — A year after devastating flooding in the Texas Hill Country prompted lawmakers to strengthen the state’s flood preparedness laws, this week’s heavy rains are putting those reforms to an early test.
The July 2025 floods killed more than 130 people and led lawmakers to approve new safety requirements for youth camps, fund flood warning sirens, expand weather monitoring infrastructure and invest hundreds of millions of dollars in flood mitigation and disaster preparedness.
Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that Texas is “better prepared than we have ever been” for severe weather and flooding, noting that flood warning sirens installed near campgrounds along the Guadalupe River are now operational.
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt said flood warning sirens in Kerr County were activated Thursday morning, giving residents and those downstream time to move to higher ground.
State Sen. Charles Perry, who authored several flood-related measures, said new laws requiring overnight youth camps to adopt state-approved emergency plans and relocate campers during flood warnings have already improved safety.
Perry said many of the state’s larger flood mitigation projects, including watershed planning, expanded weather monitoring and additional radar systems, remain under development. Since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Texas has invested an estimated $2 billion in regional flood planning and mitigation efforts.
He said the state’s flood preparedness improvements are part of a long-term strategy that will take multiple legislative sessions to fully implement.
