Photo: Moment RF
The Texas Legislature is set to address the flooding in the Hill Country during its upcoming special session. One of the top concerns will be making sure a strong alert system is in place to prevent the massive loss of life we saw on July 4th during future floods.
This raises the important question of what exactly is the best way to reach a place like the Hill Country, which has spotty wireless service, with critical information on short notice. Many are suggesting the implementation of weather sirens, but is that really the answer?
Experts like alert consultant Eddie Bertola are warning that they could do more harm than good in certain situations. He said, "Let's say you have the siren, and you're trying to combat tornadoes and floods and everything else with this one audible tone. I think you're adding to that confusion."
He pointed out that different weather events require different civilian responses. For floods, you seek higher ground; for tornadoes, you do the opposite. Essentially, without all the critical information needed to respond properly, sirens could result in huge amounts of money being spent with little to no results.
Bertola says rather than just jumping right to a one-size-fits-all solution like weather sirens, officials should look at the entire "emergency alert toolbox" and ask, "Which specific tool do I need, or do I need to use two?" He went on to add this is a difficult question to answer because the tools are "ever-changing." But he says there are specific tools for different scenarios.
He also pointed to tried-and-true methods like the AM radio-powered emergency alert system, praising it as being resilient through different weather situations while also being able to broadcast up to two minutes of detailed information that community members can act on.