The Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, rose more than 30 feet in five hours on July 4th, according to a flood gauge in the area. Multiple floods have ravaged the Texas Hill Country since the 1970s, but there wasn’t an alarm system in place. The state government is preparing to take up measures to improve emergency preparedness.

During Texas’ regular legislative session, which ended in June, lawmakers considered but failed to pass a bill that would have invested at least $500 million to improve emergency communications infrastructure. That would have included outdoor sirens similar to those used to warn people in parts of Texas of approaching tornadoes. Governor Greg Abbott says lawmakers will take the issue up again in a special session of the legislature.

“The way to respond to, like, what happened in Kerrville is going to be a topic for the special session to address,” Abbott said.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate, says he’s ready to support efforts to improve emergency communications infrastructure. Speaking on Fox News, he called for flood warning sirens along the Guadalupe River.

“…So, if the city can’t afford it, the state will step up, and we need to have these in place by the next summer when the next season comes,” Patrick said.

This could be an important shift. The emergency communications bill previously passed the Texas House but failed in the Senate, possibly because of the half-billion-dollar price tag. That’s on top of money lawmakers had already spent on other disaster response equipment.

Still, Keri Stephens, an expert on emergency communications at the University of Texas at Austin, warns against relying heavily on one fix. 

“Technology is not necessarily the only thing we need to solve the problem,” Stephens said.

Part of the reason is that notifying people in rural areas of oncoming disasters, like flash floods, is often a very costly and labor-intensive process.

“There are ways to communicate that reach a lot of people at once. Some emergency management coordinators directly contact major businesses and organizations who take care of others with emergency updates. Those organizations can reach a lot of people, and they’re often trusted,” Stephens said.

It’s worth noting that, while Texas and other states are considering upgrades to their emergency communications infrastructure, President Donald Trump said last month that he wants to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency and shift its responsibilities to the states.