Senator Paul Bettencourt discusses new legislation intended to warn people of flooding dangers ahead of time.
TEXAS, USA — Just a few days after the terrifying flooding in Kerr County, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said sirens could have saved lives in Kerr County.
“Had we had sirens on this area, up and down… It’s possible that would have saves some of these lives. If the city can’t afford it, then the state will step up. We need to have these in place by the next summer,” Patrick said.
Now, two days into the Texas Legislature special session, SB-2 is being crafted to make good on that promise. It’s the second of 16 bills that Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is making a priority.
Paul Bettencourt, a Texas senator in the Houston area, is working to craft that legislation. He spoke to KENS 5 on Tuesday.
“The siren idea is a common idea that a lot of people have had. What cuts through in a disaster that gets people’s attention?” Bettencourt said. “If you’ve got a 28 foot wall of water coming towards you, you have to get out of the way.”
To be clear, the bill isn’t only about sirens. Bettencourt said the final system will have flood gauges, possibly sensors, and infrastructure to help make sure the system stays connected to the rest of the county. That infrastructure would also mean better connectivity for phone alerts.
“We will be looking at trying to tie this together with towers that can have a satellite backup link or a 5G link because down in the canyons, you can’t get cell service,” Bettencourt said.
The senator also said the Governor, Lt. Governor and Texas Speaker of the House are in favor of the state paying for the system. But while money and willpower won’t be an issue, there are still a lot of specifics to figure out and not a lot of time to do it.
Bettencourt said lawmakers want to wait to hear from state officials, the Lower Colorado River Authority and county officials as they study the best way to implement the system. Lawmakers will also need to decide who will manage the project and select the contractor.
Some of those issues will be discussed Wednesday in the first meeting of the Disaster Preparedness & Flooding select committees formed in the Texas House and Senate. The committees will meet jointly at 9 a.m. and hold a hearing on the July 4 flooding.
At the same time, the special session will end in 30 days and flood safety is not the only priority Governor Greg Abbott wants to address.
Bettencourt said the goal is to get the bill passed without the need for another special session. He said state leaders want the solution in place by next summer and the clock is already ticking.
“The Lt. Governor and the Governor, and now with the Speaker’s support, said they want this stuff in the field in a year or so. So we’ve got to move,” Bettencourt said.