The Mystic Alerts Act Will Send Flood Warnings by Satellite. It Will Take Years, So Plan Now
A new federal law named for Camp Mystic lets cell carriers deliver emergency alerts by satellite when towers fail. The rules are years away. Here is what it does and how to stay safe in the meantime.
When the Guadalupe River rose on July 4, 2025, warnings were sent. Many never arrived.
Now a federal law named for Camp Mystic aims to close that gap. President Donald Trump signed the Mystic Alerts Act on Thursday, The Texas Tribune reported. It sets up a way for National Weather Service warnings of flash floods and other emergencies to reach cellphones by satellite when cell service goes down.
Why it matters
The July 2025 flooding killed more than 100 people in the Texas Hill Country, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic and the camp’s co-executive director, the Tribune reported. The bill’s sponsor puts the toll across Central Texas at more than 130.
The weather service pushed out multiple flash flood alerts that night. They are designed to trigger automatic warnings from cell towers through participating carriers. But cell service is spotty in the region, and the alerts did not reach everyone. Some people also turn off automatic alerts on their phones.
"After the devastating July 4th floods, it was clear that families in rural communities can’t be left in the dark when cell networks go down," said U.S. Rep. August Pfluger, the Texas Republican who sponsored the bill and whose district sits just north of the camp, in a statement.
The measure passed with support from both parties. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, led it in the Senate. Pfluger introduced it in the House with Reps. Lizzie Fletcher and Marc Veasey of Texas and Buddy Carter of Georgia.
Carter spoke for a grieving family. "My two granddaughters survived those devastating floods, but their cousin, Janie Hunt, tragically lost her life," he said.
What the law does
According to the text of the law:
The Federal Communications Commission must propose rules within six months and issue a final rule within 18 months.
The rule takes effect 36 months after it is published, or later if federal agencies need more time to set up supporting standards.
Within 60 days after that, each carrier that takes part in Wireless Emergency Alerts and offers satellite service must tell the FCC whether it will send alerts by satellite.
Carriers that opt in may not charge extra for it. Carriers that opt out must tell their customers.
If you have turned off emergency alerts on your phone, satellite alerts stay off too.
Put plainly, satellite alerts are years away, and they will depend on your carrier and your phone.
What Texas has done
State lawmakers responded to the floods by requiring flood-prone counties hit by the disaster to install outdoor warning sirens, a process the Tribune says is ongoing. Experts say sirens help in rural places but are no silver bullet. People may not hear them indoors during a storm, and without education they may not know what to do.
Recovery is still hard. This month, FEMA denied individual aid to Texans hit by another round of floods this July.
What you can do now
No law will be in place for the next flood season, so the responsibility still sits with each family, camp and congregation.
Keep emergency alerts turned on.
Do not rely on a single warning. Have a second way to hear one, such as a weather radio.
Know your ground. Before camping, fishing or renting a cabin near a river, find the route to higher ground.
Ask camps and church retreat centers how they receive warnings and how they will move children at night.
Never drive into flood water.
That last point is not exaggeration. More than half of flood-related drownings happen when a vehicle is driven into hazardous water, according to the National Weather Service. Six inches of fast-moving water can knock over an adult. Twelve inches of rushing water can carry away most cars, and 2 feet can carry away SUVs and trucks. The road under the water may already be gone.
"Turn around, don’t drown" is a slogan, but it is also wisdom. Prudence is a virtue, and the Hill Country has taught that lesson at a terrible price. Honor those who were lost by being ready.
