Del Rio advances emergency siren plan after mitigation approval

If a dangerous storm swept into Del Rio tonight, many residents would still be relying on a patchwork of phone alerts, weather radios and whatever they happened to hear outside. City leaders are now trying to close that gap with a siren network, after a long-delayed hazard mitigation approval opened the door to grant money.

The Del Rio City Council recently heard an update from City Emergency Management Director Amanda Aldaco on the citywide warning effort and other emergency-notification options. Interim Finance Director Roxy Soto told council that many siren grants require an updated hazard mitigation plan, so the city brought its plan before council on Feb. 24 and submitted it to the Texas Division of Emergency Management and FEMA. The Val Verde County, Texas, Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan was approved in a letter dated April 15, allowing Del Rio to keep applying for outside funding.

That approval matters because FEMA says mitigation plans help communities understand natural hazards, develop strategies to reduce risk and stay eligible for certain non-emergency grants. As of March 31, FEMA said 21,028 local governments nationwide had approved mitigation plans. The Texas Division of Emergency Management Hazard Mitigation Section reviews plans before they go to FEMA and helps local governments pursue grants tied to risk-reduction projects.

Del Rio’s siren push is also about how many people the current system actually reaches. Earlier reporting noted that only about 10 percent of Del Rio’s population had signed up for the Regroup emergency notification system, a figure that underscored why officials have looked at sirens as a backup to mobile and online alerts. City emergency planners have also stressed that outdoor sirens are not meant to be heard indoors, which means they can warn people outside or awake, but may still miss residents asleep, inside sealed buildings or away from their phones.

The city is not starting from scratch. In July 2025, council moved forward on a recommendation to buy and install at least 14 outdoor warning sirens across Del Rio, with staff recommending a package priced at $519,674.73 that would include one central activation system. That proposal came with four options, ranging from a $17,471.64 system upgrade to a $374,516.59 replacement plan for nine sirens, plus a $98,502.02 option for two additional sirens. American Communications vice president Kenneth Clouse answered technical questions at that meeting, and council members Jesus Lopez Jr., Al Arreola and Carmen Gutierrez pressed for details on coverage, placement and timing.

Lopez said he understood the city had already set aside $177,000 for sirens, while Arreola and Gutierrez questioned whether Del Rio should move now with available money or wait for more support. City officials have said the warning effort is meant to give residents more time before severe weather or another threat turns into a life-or-death emergency. In Val Verde County, where hazard-mitigation planning has long been part of public meetings through the Middle Rio Grande Development Council, that extra warning time could make the difference between a close call and a tragedy.