Latest news with #TexasFloodInfrastructureFund
Scientific American
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scientific American
Texas Did Little to Brace for Floods despite Knowing Risks
4 min read Texas has identified more than $50 billion in flood control needs, but lawmakers have devoted just $1.4 billion to address them CLIMATEWIRE | Texas knows it isn't prepared for floods. But the state has done little to address the risk — and the federal government under President Donald Trump is unlikely to help Texas cover the cost. The threat was underscored last week when floodwaters ravaged central Texas — killing more than 100 people, including more than two dozen children and staff at a riverside summer camp. About 160 people were still missing as of Tuesday evening, according to Texas public safety officials. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Officials have vowed to take action, and state lawmakers are scheduled to meet July 21 for a special legislative session that's intended to bolster Texas' emergency response. Yet the latest disaster isn't the first time Texas has dealt with mass casualties from a flood event. Nor is the upcoming Statehouse session the first time that Texas has tried to address flood risk. The lack of meaningful progress highlights the challenge of preparing for natural disasters such as floods and wildfires that are being made worse by climate change. And it reinforces the risk of shifting more of that responsibility to states, as proposed by the Trump administration. 'Hopefully this tragic event will open everyone's eyes," said Marie Camino, government affairs director at the Nature Conservancy in Texas. Texas has faced devastating floods before — including 2017, when Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 48 inches of rain on Houston and other Gulf Coast communities. The storm left dozens dead and caused more than $125 billion in damages. In response, state lawmakers in 2019 created the Texas Flood Infrastructure Fund and began planning projects to control high water around the state. The fund, overseen by the Texas Water Development Board, has identified $54 billion in flood control needs across Texas. But lawmakers so far have devoted just $1.4 billion to fix them. The lack of funding can be attributed to two factors, observers say. The first is ideological. Texas Republicans — who control the Statehouse and governor's mansion — are big believers in fiscal conservatism. So there isn't a groundswell of enthusiasm to fund major government projects. There's a practical concern too. Before lawmakers were willing to commit money to flood projects, they wanted to make sure that plans were written to address each river basin in the state. Otherwise, there's the risk that a project in one city would simply steer floodwaters to other communities, said state Sen. Charles Perry, who chairs the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs. 'We created this very detailed, very elaborate watershed planning, where every watershed would coordinate with all the municipalities and cities up and down that watershed to make sure that as you're moving water from one place, you're not just dumping it on the next place,' he said. Texas legislators have tried recently to steer more money to the effort. This spring, lawmakers passed a plan that would devote up to $500 million annually over the next 20 years to flood projects. But the proposal must first earn the support of Texas voters in a statewide referendum, now set for November. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other state officials have described the plan as a 'Texas-sized' commitment to water infrastructure and flood prevention. Perry said the money could help address the Legislature's on-again, off-again approach to funding flood projects. 'It is a game changer,' Perry said. 'It will be significant.' Even if voters approve the proposal, there's another catch. Lawmakers have talked about using the state money as matching funds for federal grants — and that appears less likely under the Trump administration. Earlier this year, Trump canceled a grant program that helps states, tribes and local communities prepare for natural disasters. The president also has stopped approving Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants, which help states recover from disasters and harden their communities against future calamities. "Prior to the current administration, a planning assumption could be that those state monies could be used in concert with federal mitigation and infrastructure money to make the state and local funds go further,' said Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers. "Given the administration's direction at this point, it probably is a logical question to ask whether or not that will be enough,' Berginnis added. 'It doesn't appear that there will be federal funds to match that." The risks will keep rising with global warming, scientists say. That means events like last week's floods will become more frequent. 'Flash flood events from torrential downpours and thunderstorms is actually something I think we've significantly underestimated as a hazard in a warming climate,' said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the California Institute for Water Resources, in a live YouTube talk on Monday. 'These are precisely the kinds of events that are going to increase the most — and in fact already are, and much faster than 'ordinary' precipitation events.' It's not clear yet how state lawmakers will address emergency management when they meet later this month. Under state law, the governor sets the agenda for special sessions, and Abbott hasn't announced his intentions. Perry said he's working on a bill that would allow some of the state water funds to flow toward emergency response equipment. Lawmakers considered a bill this spring that would've paid for warning sirens and other communications equipment, but they rejected it because of its cost. But state leaders are lining up to take action. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who oversees the state Senate, said Monday on Fox News that warning sirens in flood-prone areas would be a priority, after news reports showed that Kerr County officials considered the idea but balked at the cost. Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows toured Kerr County by helicopter Tuesday and spoke to reporters in Hunt, one of the towns devastated by the flood. Burrows said he's fielding calls from House members across the state who want to help — and Abbott promised results. 'We want to make sure that when we end that session, we end it making sure these communities are better, more resilient and have the resources that they need for the next chapter of their lives,' Abbott said.
Axios
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Texas state leaders didn't prioritize flood management
As Texas state leaders have prioritized spending on border security and property tax cuts, they have been far more reluctant to fund flood management efforts. Why it matters: Texas leads the nation by a wide margin in flood deaths. More than 1,000 people died in Texas floods from 1959 to 2019, according to an academic analysis, most having occurred in the Hill Country. Local officials in areas like Kerr County have struggled to secure funding for basic warning systems and have instead relied on National Weather Service text alerts and word-of-mouth to alert residents of flooding, rather than costly outdoor siren systems. The big picture: Despite Texas' vulnerability, the state didn't complete a comprehensive statewide assessment of flood risk and solutions until last year. "Planning, in the long term, is going to save lives; it's going to protect people; it's going to reduce misery ... not just in monetary costs but also in human suffering," Reem Zoun, the director of flood planning for the Texas Water Development Board, told members of the board last August. "What we do will not eliminate flooding. If we have large storms, we're still going to flood — but if we work properly and proactively, and have appropriate floodplain management practices, we will see less impact." By the numbers: Though the Texas Water Development Board has identified more than $54 billion in needed flood-control projects, lawmakers have only allocated roughly $669 million so far, the New York Times reported Monday. This year, the Legislature approved $2.5 billion for the Texas Water Fund — used to finance water projects in Texas, including conservation, desalination, and flood mitigation — with the possibility of $1 billion per year over 20 years using sales tax revenue, pending voter approval in November. Lawmakers also passed Senate Bill 1967, expanding projects that can be awarded from the Texas Flood Infrastructure Fund. One key proposal, House Bill 13, would have created a state council to establish a unified disaster response and alert system, but it stalled in the Senate after some Republican lawmakers questioned its cost. The bill would have required the council to consider the use of outdoor warning sirens and implement an emergency alert system. "I can tell you in hindsight, watching what it takes to deal with a disaster like this, my vote would probably be different now," state Rep. Wes Virdell, a Republican who represents Kerr County, told the Texas Tribune. Zoom in: In the Hill Country, technological and infrastructure barriers have slowed adoption of modern flood alerts. Kerrville officials explored installing a warning system in 2017 but rejected the idea over its price tag. The county later missed out on a $1 million grant and, as recently as 2023, was still weighing other funding options, according to KXAN. Outdoor emergency sirens may have given people more time to escape, former Kerr County commissioner Tom Moser told the New York Times, but a single siren can cost as high as $50,000. What's next: Gov. Greg Abbott indicated Sunday that he'll include the notification issue on the upcoming special session agenda.
