LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Over the July 4th weekend, while the nation celebrated its independence, the Hill Country drowned. More than 100 Texans, men, women, and children, lost their lives in a catastrophe that was both natural and political. We must learn from this terribly expensive lesson to stop carving a wound into the memory of every summer.
The federal government draws maps to show who’s in a flood zone. But the maps are not working.
Since 2005, over 40 percent of all flood insurance claims in America have come from homes outside FEMA’s so-called Highrisk Areas. In Texas, that number is even worse. In Harris County—where Hurricane Harvey and countless flash floods have ripped through entire neighborhoods—more than half of all claims come from places FEMA said were safe.
Why does that matter? Because most people don’t buy flood insurance unless the government tells them they have to. And in Texas, only 7 percent of homes carry it. That means 93 percent of us are naked before the storm.
It’s not because people are lazy. It’s because they were told they didn’t need it. They were told their risk was low. Then came the flood, and the insurance adjusters never made these families whole.
Texas knows how bad things are. The 2024 State Flood Plan tallied up the price tag to fix it: $54.5 billion in projects to make our towns safer, our rivers better managed and our homes better protected.
But guess how much money has actually been appropriated by the Texas Legislature?
$669 million. That’s barely over 1 percent of what’s needed.
Think about what that means. The state asked for a blueprint to protect its people, got it, then only funded it 1/100th. We don’t lack engineering. We lack political will and a lack of urgency.
So when the rain came down this Independence Day, when the rivers turned into black walls of water and the alarms didn’t sound, too many Texans paid the price.
Let’s be clear. This wasn’t a freak event. It wasn’t just “weather.” This is what climate change looks like in Texas. Stronger storms and more of them. Faster floods. Longer droughts. Wild temperature swings that bake our roads and strain our power grid.
But what makes it deadly is denial. Denial by elected officials who vote to cut the National Weather Service. Denial by lawmakers who vote against emergency communication investments and forgo infrastructure funding. Denial by those who protect profits over people.
This isn’t just a policy failure. It’s a values failure.
We know what to do. The solutions aren’t hypothetical. They’re here. They just need funding, courage, and leadership.
1. Fully fund the Texas Flood Plan. Every dollar spent on mitigation saves six dollars in future disaster costs. Let’s stop waiting for the next tragedy to act.
2. Modernize FEMA flood maps. Use high-resolution satellite data, climate- adjusted forecasts, and community input to redraw maps—and warn people in harm’s way.
3. Expand flood insurance access. Make flood insurance automatic for mortgages statewide, with subsidies for low-income households. It must be a right, not a luxury.
4. Build a real early warning system. Phones should blare. Sirens should wail. Alerts should include where to go, not just that danger is coming. Use geofencing. Use NOAA’s Sensitive Area Notifications. Run evacuation drills.
5. Pass a climate resilience bond. It’s time for Texas to invest like the water is already rising— because it is. Let’s issue state-backed bonds to fund infrastructure, not just highways, but levees, greenways, and home elevations.
Representative August Pfluger, whose daughters were attending Camp Mystic during the devastating floods, has personally experienced the terrifying consequences of insufficient emergency communication. While he previously voted against legislation that would have expanded local emergency alert systems across Texas, he has more recently supported federal efforts to strengthen disaster communication networks. His sponsorship of the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act reflects a growing recognition that early warning systems save lives—and that no family should be caught off guard in the face of rising danger.
If a foreign power had killed over 100 Texans on July 4th, we would have declared a national emergency. But because it was “just the weather,” we let the story wash away.
No more.
Every Texan deserves a government that sees them, protects them, and prepares for what’s coming. That means honest maps. Real insurance. Funded sirens, enhanced mobile phone notifications that always take people up when needed, and fully funded infrastructure. And leaders who understand that government’s first responsibility is increased safety through policy that implements what we already know.
Let us not mourn these deaths quietly. Let us demand that this lesson be learned and responded to through worthwhile expenditures of our tax dollars.
Until we reverse climate change, these “100-year floods” will continue to hit us every ten years.
The question is: will we be ready?
Chase Norris San Marcos
