Considering the recent flood emergency in Kerr County, Texas, which reportedly had no alert sirens in use, the question came up at the Hawley Borough Council meeting on July 9 of how the public would be notified of a catastrophic failure of the Lake Wallenpaupack dam.

Massive amounts of rainfall over the last several days in Central Texas, which has led to more than 100 deaths and untold destruction, has now forced a major dam to open its flood gates for the first time in six years.

The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) opened floodgates at the Buchanan Dam on Monday, the first time that’s happened since 2019.