Texas Underwater

First, a large snowstorm, now floods? The state of Texas has been subject to obscure natural disasters for the last few years, but why does this keep happening? Several factors contribute to the onslaught of severe weather in Texas, such as global warming, suspension or reduction of emergency response, and limited knowledge of the landscape and effects of heavy precipitation in central Texas. With all of these factors working in tandem, a wave of tragedy and death fell upon Texas; however, the only way to move forward with such a disaster is to understand the causes of such an event.

Global Warming

Beginning in the Industrial Era of the United States, the Earth’s atmospheric temperature has risen continuously over the past century, creating a ripple effect of climate change and extreme weather events. As the Earth continues to get warmer, the atmosphere gains more capacity to hold and release moisture; therefore,the 10 inches of rainfall likely amplified the effects of atmospheric warming, making it all the more severe. 

A less obvious component to the severity of the Texas storms may have been warming ocean temperatures. Warmer ocean temperatures are found to increase the odds for hurricanes and tropical storms to thrive; therefore, Texas’s proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, a large influential body of water, could have played a part in the torrential storms as well. 

Reduction of Emergency Response Programs

Since their development, FEMA and other emergency response agencies have donated billions of dollars to aid in natural disasters for states; however, President Donald Trump began a devolution of natural disaster aid since the start of his term. His purpose with this movement is to provide more discretionary funding to the states, enabling them to handle their natural disasters internally. However, this course of action has created an inverse effect for several states. Some states are not receiving billions of dollars in disaster funds to which the states are entitled. But why does this matter? Those billions of dollars are of utmost importance to every state as this type of funding helps with hurricane disaster control, wildfires, and flash floods. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was supported through these funds, along with the recovery of seasonal wildfires in states like Colorado and California. Changing the vector of organizations like FEMA significantly impacted Texas with its most recent downpour, as Trump made budget cuts to some supporting agencies, including the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NWS and NOAA, respectively).

These programs’ ability to aid in severe weather events by funding more advanced weather predicting technology or increasing the volume of first aid responders was essential for some states to properly prepare for impending floods. Another detrimental decision made by Trump was halting support and improvement towards the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program (BRIC), which donates money to prevent disasters alongside making efforts to develop warning systems for storms. 

While some of President Trump’s decisions may not have helped communities of Texas with the floods, he cannot be the sole scapegoat. The state of Texas failed to spend millions of dollars in flood protection, warning systems, and tornado shelters, which in part is due to a lack of expertise and personnel within the state. Some of the oversight on the recent floods can only be attributed to the state of Texas, as they failed to make use of the minimal funds they were provided.

Emergency response programs are essential to all countries in providing aid to their respective natural climate challenges, which is why some of the recent decisions made in the United States seem counterproductive. The uncertainty of the actions and continued support of these programs nationwide is frightening. The state governments in unison need to come to an understanding of the factors they can and can’t control, because as of this moment, we can’t control the weather, but we can control whether or not the government can provide continued monetary support.

Topography of Texas

The topography and landscape of central Texas were additional components that made these floods so disastrous for surrounding communities. Texas Hill Country can similarly be equated to “Flash Flood Valley”, which is considered to be one of the most flood prone areas in the United States. Having this as a preface to the floods should have been significant enough to provide the proper warning and prevention; however, the combination of all simultaneous factors was something the government was not prepared for. In coalition with the proximity of the Gulf of Mexico and rocky hills that funnel into any nearby rivers and creeks, the intense rainfall was bound to cause irreparable damage. The oversight of these factors led to a grave underestimate of the situation, and the loss of over 100 lives.

Can Something Be Done?

Understanding all of the factors that influenced a natural disaster such as this is essential in forming a solution. Protection of our future means finding innovative solutions to accommodate our artificially changing environment, some of which can be achieved through proper distribution and utilization of federal funds. The process of global warming is not slowing down, and creating an effective solution can be the key, and undoubtedly a necessity, to safety for generations to come.