River gauges, sirens and clear alerts can together help emergency managers anticipate flash floods and communicate life-saving information.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told CBS News Monday that the state of Texas could pay for storm sirens along the Guadalupe River.

State Rep. Wes Virdell, whose district includes Kerr County, voted against House Bill 13 earlier this year. The bill would have funded a statewide rural alert system. But after spending the weekend assisting in disaster zones caused by the floods, the state rep voiced a change of heart, per the Texas Tribune .

Over 35,000 signed a petition urging Kerr County to install flood warning sirens after flash flooding killed at least 100 people on July 4.

A small Texas town that recorded no deaths in last weekend’s flood disaster had recently upgraded its emergency alert system — the kind of setup state, county and federal officials

As the search and recovery continues in Kerry County, the issue of emergency sirens have become a focus both locally and across teas.

As Texas state leaders have prioritized spending on border security and property tax cuts, they have been far more reluctant to fund flood management efforts. Why it matters: Texas leads the nation by a wide margin in flood deaths.

Officials in Kerr County, Texas — where 27 campers and counselors at a Christian summer camp were killed in catastrophic flooding — had discussed installing a flood warning system