Just because the area is in moderate drought doesn’t mean that won’t change, and it could happen quickly.

Hays County saw devastation twice in a span of six months four years ago, with Blanco River floods in May and October of 2015. Since then the county has made some major upgrades to early warning systems that were detailed Sept. 24 to the Commissioners Court. In the case of the May 2015 flood, officials have said the flow in the Blanco River was equal to that of the Mississippi.

The...