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The catastrophic flash flooding in Texas along the Guadalupe River in the Hill Country outside of San Antonio is simply heartbreaking. What can be learned and applied here in Western Washington?

This tragic early morning event on the Fourth of July involved up to 15 inches of rain falling in a matter of just hours in a region that is one of the most prone flash flood areas in the country. Dozens have lost their lives, with many more still missing.

The National Weather Service (NWS) did its job. A flash flood watch was issued early Thursday afternoon along with a briefing to local emergency authorities. By 6:30 p.m., an updated statement highlighted “intense rain rates” that would “quickly overwhelm” the ground’s ability to absorb the water, and noted the potential for a historic rainfall event.

As the weather system began dumping rainfall in the upper reaches of the river basin, a flash flood warning was issued at 1:14 a.m. Friday morning highlighting a “life-threatening flash flooding event,” three hours before the surge of water reached warned areas downstream. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) was activated and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) were sent to cell phones.

A river gauge on the Guadalupe River rose more than 20 feet in one hour, cresting at the second-highest point on record. The rapidly rising water swept through homes, campgrounds, and roadways during the early morning hours.

What went wrong?

A thorough review of this dreadful event will unfold in the coming weeks and months. Yet, what lessons can be learned now, and how can those lessons be applied here in Western Washington?

On a basic level, a warning system is like a three-legged stool. The first leg is detection and warning of the event. The second leg is the dissemination of the warning message to the target geographic area. The final leg of the three-legged stool is response — take action upon receipt of the warning.

In this case, the flash flooding was warned and properly disseminated. The key missing element was the receipt of the flash flood warning during sleeping hours so action could be taken to move people to higher ground — the response.

Such a rapid rise in river flooding has occurred here. That flooding disaster happened in early December 2007 along the Chehalis River. Heavy rainfall of up to 15 inches fell in the upper reaches of the river in the Willapa Hills during an overnight period. The river rose 22 feet in just 12 hours near Pe Ell, exceeding a 500-year flood, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Flood warnings were issued and EAS was activated (Wireless Emergency Alerts did not exist then). Eight fatalities occurred and hundreds of livestock lost their lives. Homes, businesses, farmland, and roads, including I-5, were flooded. Again, this was a rapidly developing flood event that unfolded during sleeping hours.

The disastrous flash flooding on the Guadalupe River was not the first time such a major flood happened there. A similar heavy rainfall and flash flood occurred in 1987 with similar results. Lessons were learned, but not all were applied.

How can Western WA learn from this?

In Western Washington, a key lesson from the tragic Texas event to be applied here is receiving warning messages so action can be taken to stay out of harm’s way. In this region, the warnings can involve far more than just flooding. Other examples include rapidly spreading wind-driven wildfires, strong wind storms, hazardous material releases, manhunts, and more.

The August 2023 Maui wildfires and, more recently, the January Los Angeles wildfires highlighted the need to use more than one means to receive warning messages. During the Maui wildfires, the cell phone system failed when the fire took power out of service, leaving the use of cell phones to receive the warning messages dead in the water.

There are a number of all-hazard warning message methods to receive warnings. EAS reaches all broadcasters, including radio, TV, cable TV, and NOAA Weather Radio. An advantage of NOAA Weather Radio is that it also operates on batteries during power outages.

Wireless Emergency Alerts on cell phones are another key warning receipt resource. The key with WEA is that your cell phone needs to be set to receive those warning messages.

Your local emergency management authorities also have opt-in systems to share warning messages via phones and text messages. Contact your local county or city emergency management authorities to learn how to sign up for this critical resource.

In the case of tsunamis, well more than 100 outdoor siren systems are along the outer coast, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and in the North Sound to help alert those along shorelines of any tsunami warnings. And in the Puyallup River valley, similar lahar outdoor warning systems are in place. All of these outdoor systems are periodically tested for reliability.

Dangerous weather or other hazardous events can occur at any time of day or night, year-round. A key lesson learned and applied is to have multiple ways to receive critical warnings about these events, which helps save lives and property.

Ted Buehner is the ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Newsradio meteorologist. Follow him on Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌý. Read more of his stories here.