The horrific tragedy in Texas has sparked recriminations that no warning devices or sirens were placed along the Guadalupe River.

The nightmare flash flood in the early morning of July 4 occurred when the river surged more than 26 feet in less than an hour. It devastated camps, homes, and communities across two counties.

No one has been rescued alive since the day of the flood. As of the morning of July 12, the death toll had risen to at least 129, with authorities in Kerr and Travis counties reporting more bodies recovered. Officials previously said at least 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, the all-girls Christian camp, were among the dead.

More than 160 people are still missing.

Meteorologists identified the weather hazard early enough, after the remnants of a tropical storm dumped about 20 inches of rain in the region. The National Weather Service issued flood watches on July 3. These were escalated to flash-flood emergency alerts early on July 4.

Authorities sent cellphone texts, but people were asleep when alerts arrived. In addition, many campers didn’t have cellphones, and most areas lacked sirens or other notification systems.

Multiple investigations show that for years, in the two Texas counties, local officials hemmed and hawed about the need to create a better warning system employing radar, gauges and sirens as well as cellphone networks.

They estimated it would cost about $1 million, and applied for funds from multiple state agencies. They were rejected multiple times.

The aftermath has been predictable. Some have argued the NWS did its job, while others blame federal budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Amid cuts to federal agencies and programs, communities staring down disaster are being told you’re on your own.

Still, local leaders debated installing siren systems for decades but never built them because of costs and noise cocerns. The failure to send out emergency warnings also was on full incompetent display in the August, 2023, Lahaina, Maui, fires.

In those fires, where 102 died, there were no warnings – even though in Maui, tests are conducted monthly of the state’s warning system. But for some reason, still hazy two years later, the sirens weren’t sounded as the fires escalated.

Would a better alert system, much less sirens, have saved the people swept away in Texas? Had they been alerted, every moment to get to higher ground would have counted.

A few Texas officials have said they were cautious about issuing evacuation warnings because too many false alarms make the alerts less effective over time. Alarm fatigue may be a risk, but predictions need to be paired with better warning methods that need to be easy to understand and explain what may happen if people don’t comply. It isn’t enough to “issue alerts” if they don’t cause residents to act.

One place to start is with national flash-flood evacuation standards, much like fire codes or building inspections. Standards should mandate automated alert thresholds that trigger sirens and mobile alerts, and mandatory drills in schools, camps and care facilities.

We can’t wait for the next set of images of helpless parents searching for their kids miles downstream. The children at Camp Mystic didn’t drown only in water; they drowned in a flood of failures of preparedness, investment and political will.

Scientists are saying that weather extremes are outpacing local agencies’ preparedness.

Potential emergencies need to be taken seriously before they happen. Alert systems must be in place – and used. Preventing future disasters requires not prophecy, but preparation and follow through.

— Santa Cruz Sentinel