County lands $1 million grant for warning sirens

With the deadly July Fourth floods still fresh on their minds, Kendall County officials learned they are receiving a $1 million state grant to set up an outdoor warning siren stystem.

The funding includes an extra $250,000 to ensure the purchase and installment of devices to prevent future injuries and death during 100-year and 500-year deluges.

Local officials want to coordinate implementing the system with other agencies and governments along the Guadalupe River.

“There are multiple downstream counties that are committing to the same products we are looking at,” said Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk.

After torrential rains caused the Guadalupe to crest at 37 feet and claimed 138 lives, the Legislature approved Senate bills 3 and 5, appropriating funding from the state’s economic stabilization fund to purchase sirens and other warning-system items for affected counties.

Warning sirens became a central issue in the days after the disaster, which also caused an estimated $18 billion to $22 billion in economic damages.

While Comfort’s sirens sounded, alerting residents on the banks of Cypress Creek to flee, Kerrville and other cities and towns had no such warning system in place, according to reports.

No fatalities occurred in Kendall County.

County employees have already met once and will meet again later this month to discuss where to place sirens or similar flood-detection equipment, officials said.

While each entity receiving Texas Water Development Board funding will act on its own, Stolarczyk said, “It would be absolutely wonderful if they could get on the same product line.”

He added the county has been given assurances that regardless of what product is chosen, “it should be able to interface, because it’s important to get that upstream information, have the best response.”

The county will establish a procedure for vendors to coordinate equipment purchases, with more details to come after the bid is awarded.

“It’s important to get that upstream information.”

— Shane Stolarczyk, Kendall County judge