Type keyword(s) to search

News

What is IPAWS? Texas officials reportedly never used technology that would have saved lives during Texas flood

IPAWS is the US government agency's national system.
posted by Shreya Ghosh
Monday 7/14/2025 at 7:28AM EDT
  • Flood Image (Image via Everett Collection) (It's a representational image of a flood)
    Flood Image (Image via Everett Collection) (It's a representational image of a flood)

    Texas has continued to suffer the wrath of heavy rainfall and flood warnings for around 10 days now. Over a hundred people have died due to the calamitous surroundings, and many have gone missing.  

    At a time when locals and affected individuals are grappling to exist during this time of deadly crisis. The U.S. state gets hit by new flood warnings. Amid the worsening conditions, several reports state that officials avoided using technology that could have alerted people and saved lives.

    People cited an article published by The Washington Post confirming that the officials in Kerr County did not utilize an advanced tool named Integrated Public Alert & Warning System, abbreviated as IPAWS, that had the potential to make everyone vigilant, residing near the Guadalupe River, with notifications.

    Despite a National Weather Service meteorologist, while on duty for the Austin/San Antonio area, raising concerns about the deteriorating weather updates, the concerned officials surprisingly refrained from using the IPAWS tool.

    Everything we know about IPAWS

    IPAWS stands for Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. According to FEMA's official website, this advanced technology is the US government agency's national system. Its primary purpose is to send alerts to people at a time of crisis. FEMA controls the functions of IPAWS, according to a Congress.gov report.

    Factual essential updates are sent to everyone using several communication networks. Recipients receive updates on their mobiles via Wireless Emergency Alerts. Information is also notified through radio and television using the Emergency Alert System. Also, details are shared on the Weather Radio of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

    The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System was developed by the Department of Homeland Security in accordance with Executive Order 13407. Then President George W. Bush signed it on June 26, 2006.

    It simplifies the communication between official departments and the public during times of emergency. Interestingly, the U.S. President and permitted federal, state, territorial, local, and tribal departments can alert using the network.

    Everything we know about Texas officials not using the tool to alert many

    The incessant rainfall, followed by a tragic flood that struck Texas on July 4, has been affecting people even after 10 days. Recently, The Washington Post reported how officials avoided using an advanced technology that might have saved many people by sending lifesaving emergency warnings to people living around the Guadalupe River.

    The river water level surged dramatically and overflowed all around, devastating lives, breaking trees, destroying properties, and cutting down electricity, among other severe consequences.  

    According to the People report, the previously mentioned outlet came across several messages from a Slack thread where a meteorologist tried persuading the officials to alert people about the flash flood crisis. Despite his repeated requests since July 4 morning, no action was taken.  

    The meteorologist, Jason Runyen, texted his first worrisome caution sometime before 1 AM, People added. He advised the teams to be on guard regarding a flash flood in Kerr County and Bandera County. However, no one from these counties responded to the signal. 

    While the County avoided using IPAWS to notify residents about the then-upcoming tragic floods, the teams used the CodeRED system. The purpose of the voice message alerts was to signal people who were already signed up and added to the White Pages. With this technology, they informed locals with voice recordings to landline connections and texts to mobile phones.  

    The Washington Post could not report when the alerts were sent or when everyone received the messages. However, the outlet revealed that several locals were informed about the unexpected turn of events at around 10:55 AM. While the officials did notify, their alerts reached people at a time when the affected areas were already flooding.

    Again at 2:28 AM, Jason texted on Slack, noting that the now-devastated Kerr County had already witnessed around 200% of emergency and flash flood-causing downpours. He also alerted that the terrifying flood might have started at that time. However, no officials took note of the warnings yet again.

    At 3 AM, he informed,

    "A very dangerous flash flood event is unfolding across south-central Kerr County."

    Sharing further updates about Hunt and naming it the "bullseye," the meteorologists added that this region might experience "moderate" flooding. However, the weather and effects changed dramatically, with him confirming that Hunt's flood jumped into the "major" category by 3:56 AM.

    The Washington Post reported that the Kerr County officials finally took action at 5:31 AM with a Facebook post. The officials declared that a flash flood was happening via the official Facebook page. The sheriff also posted on Facebook and urged everyone living close to the Guadalupe River to

    "move to higher ground immediately."

    On July 6, the authorities finally used the advanced IPAWS system to share details about the evacuation procedures at 3 PM. They mentioned in the official message,

    "High confidence of river flooding. Evacuate the Guadalupe River and low-lying areas. Move to higher ground."

    Reflecting on flood warnings, several locals shared with the outlet that they often ignore the alerts as the concerned department forewarns them quite often.

    University of Central Florida professor, Abdul-Akeem Sadiq, admitted that many people might have taken the texts more cautiously if the local authorities had alerted them. This time, the National Weather Service informed them about the emergency.

    Abdul-Akeem told The Washington Post, as People cited,

    "If the alert had gone out, there might be one or two people who might have still been able to receive that message, who now, through word of mouth, alert people around them."

    People had a conversation with the officials concerning The Washington Post report. They stated,

    "We are eight days removed from the most devastating tragedy in this community’s history. From the start, the city and county have pledged transparency and a full review of the disaster response, and we stand by those commitments."

    They further continued:

    "The special session begins July 23, and that review work is underway while we remain focused on active emergency response."

    Days later, after the first major downpour triggered the flash flood, the recent heavy rainfall on July 13 wreaked havoc in the state.

    On July 14, the Kerrville city officials released an official statement on Facebook.

    The post reads:

    "The National US National Weather Service Austin-San Antonio Texas a FLASH FLOOD WARNING is in effect for our area until 11:30AM CDT. This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order."

    The Kerrville city officials also left a comment for netizens under the Facebook post, stating,

    "Please keep watch on low-water crossings and seek higher ground if flooding begins. Turn around, don’t drown!"

    The Guardian reported the National Weather Service's statement on the flood risk, informing,

    "The extent and magnitude of the event has lowered from what occurred last night into the early morning hours, however some additional flash flood impacts are likely ... and localized significant impacts remain possible."

    According to a Global News report, fire department spokesman Brian Lochte stated that the rescue teams would likely be back on the ground on Monday. Brian added,

    "We’re working with a few crews and airboats and SAR (search-and-rescue) boats just in case."

    Initially, the National Weather Service department warned about the probable chances of the Guadalupe River water level soaring high yet again. The rescue efforts have been halted amid new flood warnings.

    TOPICS: Texas


More Texas on Primetimer: