Texas lawmakers meeting in a special session this week are focusing on more than redrawing congressional districts.

They are also considering a list of bills aimed at better preparing communities for the kind of historic flood that claimed so many lives on July 4 in the central part of the state known as flash flood alley.

The legislation would mandate outdoor warning sirens in flood-prone areas and set aside funding for installation.

Kerr County, where the worst of the flooding occurred, had deferred the development of a modern flood warning system for years after failing to find a source of funding.

Another bill in the statehouse would give counties more power to limit construction in floodplains as the state's population swells, along with the number of extreme weather events.

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