The Guadalupe River's flooding in Texas resulted in over 100 fatalities. Initial weather alerts from the National Weather Service were issued early on July 4, but local evacuation orders lagged significantly. The Kerrville Police Department did not issue its notice until after 5 a.m., long after the flood threat was clear. The alerting failures were exacerbated by factors like spotty service and alert fatigue. Kerr County had previously considered a siren system but abandoned it due to cost concerns, leaving residents with inadequate warnings and less time to evacuate.
"Move to higher ground now," the police department said. "Be safe and move to higher ground," said the county. The water had risen catastrophically by then.
The swiftness of the oncoming danger meant that even the fastest municipal response would have met major challenges. But what's clear is that the alerting system failed many people.
Kerr County had considered installing a system of sirens along the river years earlier, but the project had been passed over because of cost. In the end, very little in the way of a meaningful warning system was in place for the area.
The death toll from the flooding now exceeds 100.
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