COMFORT, Texas – Matt Hodge still remembers how close the July Fourth flooding came to his home.
“It got within about forty feet of the house,” Hodge said.
A neighbor monitoring the storm online warned him first, but Hodge said the urgency became clear when he heard sirens before residents were ordered to evacuate.
“If it saves even one life, it’s money well spent,” Hodge said.
State leaders agree. Governor Greg Abbott recently signed Senate Bills Three and Five into law, allocating funding for outdoor warning systems — including flood sirens — in areas vulnerable to flash flooding.
“We’re looking at tying into the sirens that already exist in the Comfort area,” said Kendall County Fire Marshal Braidy Constantine.
While Kendall County did not record any flood-related deaths, nine bodies were recovered there after being swept in from neighboring areas, including Kerr County. On January 13, county commissioners accepted one million dollars tied to the new legislation and are now determining where to install the flood alert systems.
Constantine said Comfort is a priority, but officials are evaluating needs countywide.
“The Guadalupe River doesn’t flood as often as some of its tributaries, like Cypress Creek,” Constantine said. “We also have rural areas east of Comfort — along farm-to-market roads — that we’re looking at.”
Kerr County commissioners also accepted one million dollars for new warning sirens earlier this month. Still, Hodge said alert systems alone won’t prevent tragedies like the one that unfolded this summer, when more than 100 lives were lost.
“It happens in the blink of an eye,” Hodge said.
The project remains in its early planning stages, and officials have not yet announced when construction on the new sirens will begin.