LETTER TO THE EDITOR
What really concerns me about all the loss of life and property with this flood and others (including Riudosa) is that we are allowing folks to build houses and dorms in floodways.
No matter how good a warning system is, it’s hard to evacuate people when their dorm is in the floodway. And, of course houses and cars are lost and FEMA (which means all of us) are expected to build them back.
Don’t build them back. Let’s buy that land instead and make it parkland. Or let the camps keep the land but just not build back dorms and cabins. We don’t want to drown any more kids.
As for a warning system, the National Weather Service was sending out alerts to every cell phone in the area last Friday night. But most folks turn off those alerts. And, of course it was the middle of the night. But what about the 9-1-1 dispatcher? Does he or she get those alerts? Couldn’t 911 alert the deputies and the camp directors to wake up and move those kids.
But the bottom line is that, for whatever reason, the floodplain coordinator for that area (Kerr county, I guess) had allowed everyone to build in the floodway in what is known as “Flash Flood Alley.”
I think we have all gone nuts.
And then we blame it on God.
Tom Goynes. San Marcos
