() A Texas state representative defended his vote against a $500 million emergency alert bill, saying it lacked transparency and would not have funded actual warning systems that could have helped prevent flood deaths.
Republican State Rep. Wes Virdell told that he opposed the legislation because “it creates a council that has no transparency” and was “actually exempt from transparency.” The bill would have established outdoor warning sirens and emergency alert systems.
“It didn’t actually have money for funding of the emergency warning systems. It was just the money for creating the commission is all it was,” Virdell said during the interview from flood-ravaged Kerr County, which he represents.
The floods struck early Friday morning, killing dozens of people including children at summer camps along the Guadalupe River. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning more than three hours before the disaster, but campers and residents along the river were unaware of the danger.
Virdell said warning sirens would have limited effectiveness in the remote area, noting he can only hear a siren 200 yards from his house when he’s outside. He said the real problem is poor cellphone service in the region.
“What we really need is more cell service in that area,” Virdell said, confirming there is no cell service near the affected camps.
