Did the Texas Floods Have to Be This Deadly?
Featuring Christopher Flavelle
Produced by Asthaa ChaturvediAlex SternDiana NguyenCaitlin O'Keefe and Mary Wilson
Edited by Mike BenoistPatricia Willens and Liz O. Baylen
Original music by Dan Powell and Elisheba Ittoop
Engineered by Alyssa Moxley
A little over a week after the devastating flooding in Central Texas, more than 130 people are confirmed dead — and the search for the missing continues.
In the aftermath of the disaster, there have been mounting questions about how local officials handled the critical hours before and during the storm.
This episode of 'The Daily' looks at the missed opportunities that may have contributed to the growing tragedy — and whether anything more could have been done to save lives.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Christopher Flavelle, a Times reporter covering how President Trump is transforming the government.
Kerr County, where most of the deaths occurred, failed to secure a warning system, even as local officials remained aware of the risks and as billions of dollars were available for similar projects.
Years before the floods, records show, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the removal from flood zones of many buildings at Camp Mystic, where floodwaters killed more than two dozen people.
Eight-year-olds at camp, families in their R.V.s: These were some of the lives lost to the Texas floods.
There are a lot of ways to listen to 'The Daily.' Here's how.
We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode's publication. You can find them at the top of the page.
Fact-checking by Susan Lee.
The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Michael Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, Nina Feldman, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon M. Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez, Brendan Klinkenberg, Chris Haxel, Maria Byrne, Anna Foley and Caitlin O'Keefe.
Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam, Nick Pitman and Kathleen O'Brien.
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