The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has announced that it will begin identifying regions that are historically at-risk of flooding and lack the needed infrastructure to protect residents.
The initiative will prioritize the 30 counties affected by Senate Bill (SB) 3 – legislation passed in 2025 that will improve disaster response and preparedness by installing outdoor warning sirens in flash flood-prone areas. The identification process will map areas with a consistent history of severe flooding, are at-risk of flash flooding or need to have one or more outdoor warning sirens installed, maintained and operated.
TWDB will use a recently developed online mapping tool to streamline the identification process, using agency guidance alongside local expertise to determine where these warning systems are needed. Counties will be allowed to request revisions to any identified areas based on:
- Changed conditions, inaccuracies or information not available during development of the flash flood risk area maps.
- Proper justification showing that an outdoor warning siren is not warranted in a particular area based on local knowledge.
Local municipalities and counties will be required to install, maintain and operate an outdoor warning siren system based on the results of the mapping process. Those entities will be able to use the TWDB Flash Flood Warning Siren Guide to meet system requirements and incorporate all components needed to keep it functional on a long-term basis.
As part of SB 3’s approval, the state will oversee a grant program to help facilitate these outdoor warning siren system projects. The bill – in combination with SB 5’s appropriation of funding – will enable the Office of the Governor to distribute up to $50 million to assist counties, municipalities and other local government entities with disaster relief and preparedness measures.
Photo by wckitchen, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, from Wikimedia Commons
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