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

[waterwatcher123]

39. Thanks for the nice pictures, imagery and explanations (appreciate it).

You know the soil characteristics and tree canopy of the area better than anyone looking at imagery. However, there were some areas where the tree canopy abruptly ends at right angles, which makes it appear cleared. How do local authorities and landowners suppress wildfire without cutting the vegetation? It must be incredibly hard to fight fires in this rugged and dry terrain (does not appear like there many available surface water sources to fight fires other than the Guadalupe itself).

Is it the porous limestone and high rates of evaporation that account for the extremely dry landscape? I looked at a few maps of average annual precipitation for Texas. Austin and San Antonio averaged around 30-33 inches per year (which is enough to support trees elsewhere). Does the upper Guadalupe River have a similar precipitation regime? If so, it must be something other than precipitation that is the limiting factor for trees.

Camp Mystic did look like it was situated right on a fluvial feature. It is too bad that FEMA does not re-assess these grandfathered in properties built in floodplains. A cabin is not really a temporary structure even though it might be occupied intermittently. I tried to find the zoning code for the county on their website. But it sounds like the county does not do enforce zoning codes outside of incorporated areas. They must have some code requirements otherwise it would be impossible to enforce the floodplain requirements (maybe in building permits?). The county could have easily required these at-risk properties to install their own warning systems if they wanted to error on the side of caution. A simple float switch tethered to a post near the riverbank could trigger a warning siren and lights (no guarantee it would have saved everyone - but at least there would have been a greater chance).

Again, thanks for your patience in explaining what is so unique about this river system. The upper Gaudalupe River is obviously a highly valued recreational resource (otherwise it would not have so many camps and campers). It was alignment of circumstances that led to this regrettable outcome (huge storm event, middle of the night, lots of people in flood prone areas, 4th of July holiday). Hopefully, there will be some lessons learned that be applied to prevent a repeat scenario. Maybe the Guadalupe River Authority can start to be more active in trying to encourage changes in floodplain management and encourage efforts to infiltrate and keep water on the land. It is nice to hear beavers are playing a role too. It took this country years to recognize how important they are to watershed management and stream ecology (the Europeans and their beaver hats were a big part of the problem).

I wish you and your neighbors the best as you recover from this tragedy that claimed so many lives and altered a natural resource you clearly value.