Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) first introduced the legislation in the US House in January with Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX).
AUSTIN, Texas — President Donald Trump signed bipartisan legislation targeting emergency alert communications into law this week after more than 130 people died in Central Texas flooding last summer.
In a Thursday news release from outgoing Texas Senator John Cornyn, lawmakers celebrated the passing of the Mystic Alerts Act, which will now allow wireless emergency alerts to be delivered via satellite “when other pathways fail during emergencies.”
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“This law is a major step forward for emergency preparedness, and it means more Americans will get the warning they need, no matter where they live,” said Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas).
Pfluger first introduced the legislation in the U.S. House alongside Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) on Jan. 12, according to the federal legislative website Congress.gov. After unanimously passing the House on Sept. 30, it was presented to Trump on Oct. 15.
The release points specifically to July 4 flooding in Texas last year. Many of the deaths from the catastrophic flooding occurred in Kerr County, including 27 Camp Mystic campers and two teachers who died from the flooding of the Guadalupe River.
Just this week, the owners of Camp Mystic sought to pause search warrants for cellphone records by the Texas Rangers as part of the owners’ response to the flooding. The Eastland family, whose own Dick Eastland perished in the flooding, argues the searches could expose “privileged communications between the family and its attorneys.”
Emergency response times and alerts for impending severe weather quickly began dominating conversation at the local and state political level following the deadly flooding.
One central part of the larger conversation focused on flood sirens, which Kerr County lacked at the time. However, nearly a year after the floods, the county began finalizing plans for a flood warning system.
Cornyn — who will soon wrap up more than two decades as a Texas senator after losing to the state’s attorney general Ken Paxton in a runoff earlier this year — attributed much of the death toll from the flooding to the public not receiving adequate flood alerts due to the “compromised cellular networks that were knocked out by the storm.”
“This law will address this technology shortfall and honor the memory of those lost by ensuring Texans and all Americans can receive wireless emergency alerts on their mobile devices via satellite even when disaster strikes, and I appreciate President Trump signing it into law,” he said.
Pfluger, after thanking Trump for signing it, addressed further support for the bill’s impact on Texas’ rural communities. Pfluger represents Texas’ 11th district, which includes portions of West and Central Texas, and cities such as Odessa, Midland and San Angelo.
“After the devastating July 4th floods, it was clear that families in rural communities can’t be left in the dark when cell networks go down,” Pfluger said. “By bringing satellite technology into our emergency alert system, we’re making sure warnings reach people when they need them most.
Georgia Senator John Ossoff, who introduced the Senate version of the bill alongside Cornyn, pointed to safeguarding his own state.
“Our bipartisan law will help upgrade America’s emergency alert systems to keep Georgia families safe and informed,” he said.
Also this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied requests for individual and public assistance for at least 30 Texas counties — including Bexar and Kerr counties — after flooding earlier this summer.
Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. shared FEMA’s denial letter Wednesday, calling the decision a “disappointment.”