Sustainable Switch: Devastating Texas floods
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Deadly downpours hit Texas, United States, over the weekend, with a death toll from the catastrophic floods reaching at least 96 people, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp continues. Meanwhile, a powerful typhoon struck southern Taiwan this week, killing two people and injuring more than 630 in a rare hit to the island's densely populated west coast.
But before we get into the details of the flooding in Texas, please note that Sustainable Switch will be taking a short summer break, returning on July 24 with all the latest environmental, social, and governance developments.
Now, in Texas, as search teams waded through muddy riverbanks and flew aircraft over the state's flood-ravaged central areas on Monday, hopes dimmed of finding survivors among dozens still missing from a disaster that has claimed at least 96 lives, many of them children.
Taiwan also experienced extreme downpours as Typhoon Danas lashed the island with record winds and strong rain early on Monday, killing two people and injuring more than 630 in a rare hit to the island's densely populated west coast.
The National Fire Agency said one person was killed by a falling tree while driving, and another died after their respirator malfunctioned due to a power cut.
What happened in Texas?
The flooding in Texas occurred after the nearby Guadalupe River broke its banks after torrential rain on Friday, the U.S. Independence Day holiday.
State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, ahead of the July 4 holiday, that parts of central Texas faced the possibility of flash floods based on National Weather Service forecasts.
But twice as much rain, opens new tab as was predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, City Manager Dalton Rice said.
Rice said the outcome was unforeseen and unfolded in a matter of two hours, leaving too little time to conduct a precautionary mass evacuation without the risk of placing more people in harm's way.
Among the worst affected was Camp Mystic summer camp, where 700 girls were in residence at the time of the flooding, according to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.
Officials confirmed that 27 campers and counselors were among those who had died, while 10 girls and a camp counsellor were still unaccounted for, as search-and-rescue personnel faced the potential of more heavy rains and thunderstorms while clawing through tons of muck-laden debris.
Questions over accountability
Debates intensified over questions about how state and local officials reacted to weather alerts forecasting the possibility of a flash flood and the lack of an early warning siren system that might have mitigated the disaster.
Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration made it harder for officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm.
Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts at the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer asked the Department of Commerce's acting inspector general to investigate whether cuts at the National Weather Service affected its response to central Texas flooding. He asked the watchdog to scrutinize the office's communications with Kerr County officials.
On Monday, Patrick vowed that the state would "step up" to pay for installing a flash-flood warning system in Kerrville by next summer if local governments "can't afford it."
ESG LENS
U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war, telling 14 nations, from powerhouse suppliers such as Japan and South Korea to minor trade players, that they now face sharply higher tariffs from a new deadline of August 1.
Trump also threatened leaders of developing nations in the BRICS grouping meeting in Brazil with an additional 10% tariff if they adopt "anti-American" policies. The bloc includes Brazil, Russia, India, and China among others.
Click here to sign up for the Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter to keep up with all the latest tariff news.
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Sustainable Switch: Devastating Texas floods
July 8 - This is an excerpt of the Sustainable Switch newsletter, where we make sense of companies and governments grappling with climate change, diversity, and human rights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here. Hello, Deadly downpours hit Texas, United States, over the weekend, with a death toll from the catastrophic floods reaching at least 96 people, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp continues. Meanwhile, a powerful typhoon struck southern Taiwan this week, killing two people and injuring more than 630 in a rare hit to the island's densely populated west coast. But before we get into the details of the flooding in Texas, please note that Sustainable Switch will be taking a short summer break, returning on July 24 with all the latest environmental, social, and governance developments. Now, in Texas, as search teams waded through muddy riverbanks and flew aircraft over the state's flood-ravaged central areas on Monday, hopes dimmed of finding survivors among dozens still missing from a disaster that has claimed at least 96 lives, many of them children. Taiwan also experienced extreme downpours as Typhoon Danas lashed the island with record winds and strong rain early on Monday, killing two people and injuring more than 630 in a rare hit to the island's densely populated west coast. The National Fire Agency said one person was killed by a falling tree while driving, and another died after their respirator malfunctioned due to a power cut. What happened in Texas? The flooding in Texas occurred after the nearby Guadalupe River broke its banks after torrential rain on Friday, the U.S. Independence Day holiday. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, ahead of the July 4 holiday, that parts of central Texas faced the possibility of flash floods based on National Weather Service forecasts. But twice as much rain, opens new tab as was predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, City Manager Dalton Rice said. Rice said the outcome was unforeseen and unfolded in a matter of two hours, leaving too little time to conduct a precautionary mass evacuation without the risk of placing more people in harm's way. Among the worst affected was Camp Mystic summer camp, where 700 girls were in residence at the time of the flooding, according to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. Officials confirmed that 27 campers and counselors were among those who had died, while 10 girls and a camp counsellor were still unaccounted for, as search-and-rescue personnel faced the potential of more heavy rains and thunderstorms while clawing through tons of muck-laden debris. Questions over accountability Debates intensified over questions about how state and local officials reacted to weather alerts forecasting the possibility of a flash flood and the lack of an early warning siren system that might have mitigated the disaster. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration made it harder for officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts at the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer asked the Department of Commerce's acting inspector general to investigate whether cuts at the National Weather Service affected its response to central Texas flooding. He asked the watchdog to scrutinize the office's communications with Kerr County officials. On Monday, Patrick vowed that the state would "step up" to pay for installing a flash-flood warning system in Kerrville by next summer if local governments "can't afford it." ESG LENS U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war, telling 14 nations, from powerhouse suppliers such as Japan and South Korea to minor trade players, that they now face sharply higher tariffs from a new deadline of August 1. Trump also threatened leaders of developing nations in the BRICS grouping meeting in Brazil with an additional 10% tariff if they adopt "anti-American" policies. The bloc includes Brazil, Russia, India, and China among others. Click here to sign up for the Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter to keep up with all the latest tariff news. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also subscribe here.
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