Severe weather impacts San Marcos, city working on outdoor siren system
The Brief
Power outages in San Marcos due to severe weather
Outdoor warning sirens went off during the storms on Monday
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Severe weather this week brought power outages and had outdoor warning sirens going off in San Marcos.
While the rain was a welcome sight, it was not enough to get out of the drought.
What we know
Early Wednesday morning, power outages impacted about 4,500 SMTX Utility meters. They were likely caused by wind and lightning.
Families in the Spring Lake Hills area were among those affected by the storm.
"It was pretty great, and I say that because we need the rain," resident Mollie Binion said. "I think we all woke up about 6am from the thunder and power going out."
"A loud boom startled me, for a moment I thought it was a bomb," Grayson Armstrong, 11, who also lives in the neighborhood, said. "A few seconds after the flash, it was just darkness, I looked at the clock, it wasn't on, so was the audio disc player... I was like, the power's out."
The power was restored about two hours later.
"Before the sun came up we were looking for flashlights and candles so that was a good reminder to have that stuff prepared," Binion said.
Dig deeper
With a week of severe weather, during Monday's storms, outdoor warning sirens went off.
Some residents thought it was a tornado warning, but the city clarified it was a flash flood warning.
"Understanding the difference between maybe tornado warnings and flood warnings was pretty cool, one, that we have that system, and two, kind of experiencing it in real time," Binion said. "To kind of help the kids understand and not be scared we went over it with them as well."
According to the city:
Tornado warning: single pitch that is a long and steady tone and lasts for three minutes
Wildland fire: alternates between high and low tones lasting for three minutes
Public safety threat: wave-like pitch that will change in tone every 16 seconds for a total of three minutes. These threats could include flooding, hazardous materials spills, or other emergencies.
The city says that was the first time the sirens have been used since going through extensive repairs last summer.
"We understand that the activation caused some confusion, as the sirens are generally associated with tornado warnings. Our Emergency Management team is currently reviewing internal protocols to determine the most appropriate and consistent use of the sirens moving forward," the city said in a statement.
The city says the sirens weren't activated during a flash flood warning early Wednesday morning because an automatic alert was temporarily turned off during the evaluation period. It has since been re-enabled as they work on finalizing guidance.
The Source
Information in this report comes from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen.
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