Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

General Discussion

Showing Original Post only (View all)

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(126,767 posts)
Tue Jul 8, 2025, 01:04 PM Jul 8

In deadly Texas floods, one town had what some didn't: A wailing warning siren [View all]

As heavy rain triggered flash flood warnings along the Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country early Friday, the small unincorporated town of Comfort had something its neighbors upriver in Kerr County didn’t: wailing sirens urging residents to flee before the water could swallow them.

Comfort had recently updated its disaster alert system, installing a new siren in the volunteer fire department’s headquarters and moving the old one to a low-lying area of town along Cypress Creek, a tributary of the Guadalupe that is prone to flooding. Friday was the first time the new two-siren system had been used outside of tests, providing a last-minute alarm for anyone who hadn’t responded to previous warnings on their cellphones or evacuation announcements from firefighters driving around town.

“People knew that if they heard the siren, they gotta get out,” said Danny Morales, assistant chief of the Comfort Volunteer Fire Department.

Morales said that no one died in Comfort, a town of about 2,300 people in Kendall County. But in Kerr County about 20 miles away, dozens of people, including young girls staying at Camp Mystic, a riverside Christian summer camp, were washed away when the Guadalupe surged over its banks and swamped the surrounding countryside. As of Monday evening, officials said, 104 people had been confirmed dead, 84 of them in Kerr County, including dozens of children. Kerr County has no siren system despite years of debate, in part because some local officials felt it was too expensive to install.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/deadly-texas-floods-one-town-001729029.html

I read another article where it was said people in the area were averse to any kind of tax increase.

39 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
"because some local officials felt it was too expensive to install" DBoon Jul 8 #1
They will discover how expensive it is with all the lawsuits that will be filed. mwmisses4289 Jul 8 #13
Might not Old Crank Jul 8 #24
The following is from Wikipedia regarding the phrase "Cutting off one's nose to spite one's face." John1956PA Jul 8 #22
it should say barbtries Jul 8 #23
Many/most small Texas towns have an alarm system used by the fire department to warm of tornadoes. efhmc Jul 8 #2
Not in this part of Texas. LeftInTX Jul 8 #14
Austin does not have them either. pinkstarburst Jul 8 #17
I'm not saying I have $10k floating around to buy one but... cadoman Jul 8 #21
More involved than the cost of a siren. Old Crank Jul 8 #25
I'm not saying it's $0, but I think this gives us a scale of the cost we're talking here cadoman Jul 8 #27
Most of the cities around here do not have them pinkstarburst Jul 8 #29
The Texas Hill Country's Balcones Fault line makes tornados rare and usually cause limited damage. summer_in_TX Jul 9 #36
Austin does not have sirens pinkstarburst Jul 8 #16
Air raid siren. efhmc Jul 8 #32
1,800 people in our small borough, gab13by13 Jul 8 #3
They have them in Tsunami zones and the Hill Country has more flash floods. The cost can't be too prohibitive. surfered Jul 8 #4
Yes I know Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Jul 8 #6
They also have lahar warning sirens here in the Mt. Rainier river valleys Trailrider1951 Jul 8 #11
exactly gopiscrap Jul 8 #20
K&R spanone Jul 8 #5
Re short-sighted, selfish people who don't want to pay taxes for what communities need: Attilatheblond Jul 8 #7
Even TX Lt. Gov. gets it. Now. moondust Jul 8 #8
te same kind of siren that every town had whem we were ducking and covering under our desks rampartd Jul 8 #9
Where I grew up they tested air raid sirens every Saturday at noon. No matter where you were you could hear them. flashman13 Jul 8 #19
Wow - how much would it cost to install a few sirens and perhaps warning lights? waterwatcher123 Jul 8 #10
What? There aren't "forests" on the Edward's Plateau. It's a "savanna" LeftInTX Jul 8 #15
The imagery certainly makes it look like lots of the upland areas have been cleared. waterwatcher123 Jul 8 #35
No. Upland areas have never been cleared. As a matter of fact, trees have increased due to human settlement. LeftInTX Jul 9 #37
Thanks for the nice pictures, imagery and explanations (appreciate it). waterwatcher123 Jul 9 #39
Flood alarms are for fancy book learnin' librul smarty pants. Hassin Bin Sober Jul 8 #12
A warning siren in a flood plain town? Gimpyknee Jul 8 #18
Not the good idea you think it is. Jirel Jul 8 #33
My small town has several sirens, and they get tested once a month at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Sogo Jul 8 #26
Ours are tested Littlered Jul 8 #28
What a ridiculous article. Jirel Jul 8 #30
You know what's prohibitive to me? The cost of losing a loved one. Buddyzbuddy Jul 8 #31
A siren/water depth gauge systm on the river bank is not that expensive. The governor and Sen. Cruz... brush Jul 8 #34
Sirens might help to a degree pinkstarburst Jul 9 #38
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»In deadly Texas floods, o...