One year after the July floods, researchers are developing a new flood warning system

 

KERRVILLE, Texas — One year after the devastating July 2025 floods that claimed more than 130 lives, researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington are developing a new flood warning system they hope will give communities more time to respond before floodwaters become life-threatening.

The $4 million project, funded through a grant from the Office of Gov. Greg Abbott, aims to create a real-time flood warning system for flood-prone areas of the Texas Hill Country.

The system uses radar rainfall data, stream gauge information, and computer modeling to forecast floodwater depths at specific locations before conditions become dangerous. Researchers say the goal is to provide emergency managers and communities with earlier, more detailed information as flood conditions rapidly change.

Dr. Nick Fang, director of UTA’s Water Engineering Research Center and the project’s lead researcher, said people caught in flash floods often have very little time to react.

“Normally, people need about 30 to 1 hour to really do a lot of preparation,” Fang said. “The reality here is it could be shorter because it depends on where they are located within a particular watershed. In certain immediate locations, 15 minutes is not really a big window for people to take action.”

Fang said the system is designed to provide between 30 minutes and two hours of warning time, depending on the location.

Unlike traditional warning methods that are often associated with sirens or text alerts, Fang said the system begins by analyzing weather and rainfall data to forecast where flooding is expected and how deep the water could become. That information is then displayed in a way that emergency officials can quickly interpret and use.

Researchers say the system could eventually provide information through a web-based platform, text messages, and potentially existing siren systems.

Fang said building the technology is only part of the effort.

“Setting this system up is step number one,” Fang said. “Training people how to utilize and translate the information coming from the system is another critical part. How are you going to communicate the risk in a way people can understand is very important.”