Texas Flood Deaths Were Preventable |
Area of “Flash Flood Alley” in Texas; the lighter curved region running from Dallas down through San Antonio. Image Source: Zhongyu Han and Hatim O. Sharif – CC BY 4.0
The tragedy unfolding in Central Texas is stark. As of writing, over 100 are dead or missing — the majority from Kerr County, including 27 children and counselors from a nearby summer camp. As search efforts continue, that death toll is likely to rise.
In a July 5 press conference on the flooding, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spent the majority of the time thanking each other and the president for the emergency response efforts. The president approved a disaster declaration on Sunday, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released a press release yet again praising Trump and promising help to survivors. But the administration appears reluctant to acknowledge that these fatalities could have been entirely avoided with greater federal investment in mitigation and emergency management. In fact, the administration has proactively dismantled the very programs and resources that could have........