Texas lawmakers failed to pass a bill to improve local flood warning systems this year

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

For the last three days, state Rep. Wes Virdell has been out with first responders in Kerr County as they searched for victims and survivors from the devastating floods that swept through Central Texas early Friday morning.

“All the focus right now is let’s save all the lives we can,” Virdell, who was still on the scene in Kerrville, told The Texas Tribune on Sunday.

Virdell’s closeup view of the havoc wreaked on his district has made a lasting impression, he said, and left him reconsidering a vote he made just a few months ago against a bill that would have established a grant program for counties like Kerr to improve the warning systems they use to notify residents of life-threatening disasters.

“I can tell you in hindsight, watching what it takes to deal with a disaster like this, my vote would probably be different now,” the freshman GOP lawmaker said.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-lawmakers-failed-pass-bill-224642095.html

[hatrack]

1. That's nice. He's "reconsidering" his vote against funding to let local govs create warning networks . . .

But don't worry. I'm sure he'll have plenty of time to decide to vote against the next such measure, in the unlikely event that it ever comes to the floor for a vote.

On edit - oh, and it gets better:

EDIT

“I don't think there was enough evidence to even suspect something like this was going to happen,” he said. ”I think even if you had a warning system there, this came in so fast and early in the morning it's very unlikely the warning system would have had much effect.”

Virdell said he doesn’t recall the specifics of the bill or why he opposed it, though he guessed ”it had to do with how much funding” was tied to the measure.

Ed. - Except for little things like massive flash floods being a thing in the region, of course - like the one that killed ten people less than 40 years ago . . . .

[tanyev]

2. And they're not scheduled to meet again until Jan. 2027.

Odds of Gov. Abbott calling a special session to improve local flood warning systems: slim to none.

😒