"Texas County where campers died was denied money to boost warning systems"...by Texas state
emergency management board...could it be because it came from the Obama administration? More and more this is looking like a preventable disaster...people need to be held accountable so that this doesn't happen again.
------------------
In June 2016, President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in Texas after torrential rains killed 20 people and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses in the state’s southeast corner. It unlocked more than $100 million in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to clean up the damage and help communities across the state prepare for future disasters,
Kerr County, part of a region whose rivers and creeks have high flooding potential, earned the nickname “Flash Flood Alley” and was among the communities that sought preventative funding. It asked for $1 million to build a flood warning system that would have upgraded 20 water gauge systems, added new water level sensors and posts, and created software and a website to distribute the information to the public in real-time.
Although some nearby jurisdictions, such as Comal County, built siren systems to alert residents to floods, Moser noted that many people in Kerr County opposed sirens. A website, he hoped, would fill that void.
“We can do all the water level monitoring we want, but if we don’t get that information to the public in a timely way, then this whole thing is not worth it,” he said at a January 2017 meeting, days before the application deadline.
Under FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance program, the federal government can distribute money for preventive measures to states that request it. Cities, counties and nonprofits then apply to their states for a piece of it. In Texas, the Division of Emergency Management decides which applications to approve.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management denied Kerr County’s 2017 application, meeting minutes show. Kerr County applied again in 2018, when more federal funding became available after Hurricane Harvey. But meeting minutes indicate that Texas’ emergency authority again did not approve it.
----------------
Link: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/07/07/texas-flooding-kerr-county-flood-warning-money-denial/84499153007/
Replies to: "Texas County where campers died was denied money to boost warning systems"...by Texas state
A cell phone with starlink solves this problem at minimal cost.
(no message)
Right, because the state of Texas can’t possibly be responsible for anything as long as you
know better.
There was nothing stopping the Texas Emergency Management Office from asking for better
warning systems...they failed miserably and left a proven dangerous situation persist. That seems like grounds for criminal negligence.
My point: it's dumb to invest in old technology when everyone has a cell phone.
T-Mobile has starlink direct to phone for free, turn on crisis alerts on your phone. Easy, peasy.
It's the quintessence of public sector thinking.
(no message)
Also, you can't pay off your donors' investments this way
(no message)
My point...Obama admin offered lots of money to Texas for flood warning...Texas would have no
trouble lobbying Barack for better systems...it's all on Texas officials for doing NOTHING...it's been 10 years since the initial offer...people need to be held accountable.
Can I use the money to remove the sirens from my neighborhood?
(no message)
Go ask the folks in Texas what they did with the money.
(no message)
You said they didn't take the money.
(no message)
Excuse me...while the Obama admin's funding offer was rejected by Texas, the Biden Admin's
Infrastructure bill also provided funding to Texas...here's an AI summary of the part related to Flood Control...i.e. $$$ was accepted...but obviously not used to help Kerr Country deal with a Flash Flood like we just saw...I should have noted the Biden case. In any event, it isn't for lack of money that Kerr County had no upgraded Flash Flood Alley warning system. People need to be held accountable.
-------------------------
AI Overview
Yes, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, includes funding for Texas flood control projects.
Specifically:
Approximately $811 million was allocated to Texas for infrastructure resilience in 2022, including $423 million through the Army Corps of Engineers for flood mitigation.
An additional $20 million was invested in the Trinity River Flood Control Project, building on the initial $403 million secured for the project in January 2022.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is expected to provide Texas with $2.9 billion over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state, which includes funding to address stormwater infrastructure and flood impacts.
In addition to this, the Biden-Harris administration announced $358,980,000 for Texas to upgrade drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure as part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda in February 2024, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This funding is part of a larger investment in the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.
While there have been discussions and efforts regarding state-level funding for flood control in Texas, particularly after events like Hurricane Harvey, the Biden Infrastructure Law has provided federal resources to address flood mitigation and infrastructure resilience in the state.
--------------------
Can I get the sirens removed or no?
(no message)
Texas had all the money it needed to protect Kerr County…from Democrat Presidents no less…
…they failed their own citizens…and kids no less.
You're suggesting we should cover every inch of the country with emergency warning systems?
That is stupid.
Also stupid is running fiber optics out to rural areas where no one lives.
You could subsidize satellite Internet for far cheaper and more effectively reach your goal.
Also flawed in your premise is that people would evacuate if the sirens went off. Most people wouldn't, just look at how many people stay behind during hurricanes with days of warning.
We both know that you are trying to make this into a political issue for partisan reasons. It's a natural disaster, a once in millennia event. Earthquakes, flash floods, wild fires, mud slides; these things happen on planet earth.
Does your thought process allow for any gradations between "No Comment" and "Hyperbole"? ;-)...
...get back to me when you're ready to have a rational conversation.
Read your own bullshit Tyrone, you want charges for not putting in a $1M system that isn't necessary
(no message)
Check out my latest post on this issue...
...turns out that better flood warning was a topic in at least 16 Kerr County meetings...but the ultra-conservative 'leaders'...for purely political reasons...turned down the Federal Grants, because they came from...wait for it...Democrats. Now there will be over 100 funerals, thanks to their steadfast MAGA beliefs.
I'd like to know if you support what they did...or did not...do.