New flood warning systems installed across Texas Hill Country after last year's deadly disaster sounded in the darkness this week as storms returned to some of the same communities devastated in 2025, and residents said the difference was hard to miss.
At least two people died and hundreds needed rescue as catastrophic flash floods hit parts of the region again. But newly installed sirens went off in the night, and phones buzzed with alerts that had never come the previous summer. According to a review by the Associated Press, Kerr County issued four alerts and the city of Kerrville issued one early Thursday as flood risk grew, alongside watches, warnings, and emergencies sent by the National Weather Service to broadcast outlets, weather radios, and mobile phones. People registered with the CodeRED system in Kerr County also received text messages.
Last July, 136 people died in the Hill Country floods, including 28 at a sleepaway camp for girls. The AP had reported after that disaster that over the previous decade, various Texas state and local agencies had missed opportunities to put flood warning systems in place along the Guadalupe River. Local officials in Kerr County acknowledged at the time that they had been reluctant to "cry wolf" and had failed to send wireless alerts before the flooding struck.
The contrast with this week was stark for at least some residents. Suzanne Sutphin Gschwind of Kerrville described the difference directly. "Last year, we got no alarms. We had no idea what was going on," she said. "This year, very different," she said, with texts and calls arriving from local authorities, a weather channel, and her doorbell camera. On one night the warnings came "about every two hours." She said she and others would rather have too many alerts than too few. "I think we would all like to err on the side of too much," she said.
Between early Tuesday morning and about 9 a.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service sent 38 alerts to people in certain southwest Texas communities, including 14 tornado warnings and 24 warnings that flooding was occurring or imminent.
The improvements came after last year's deaths drove lawmakers and others to scrutinize the lack of government preparedness along river corridors and at riverside camps. Officials had promised better flood warning systems, tighter safety rules for children's camps, and improvements to water infrastructure. That work was still underway when the new storms arrived this week, and residents in some areas still found themselves surprised by rising water, a reminder of how difficult early warning remains across a vast and rural region long known as Flash Flood Alley.
