Texas Hill Country Is Underwater, and America’s Emergency Lifeline Is Fraying

Opinion|Texas Hill Country Is Underwater, and America’s Emergency Lifeline Is Fraying

When a flash flood inundates your town or a wildfire devours your neighborhood, you expect the federal government to show up — fast, focused and fully mobilized. That expectation underpins our national resilience. But today, that system is cracking. The help Americans rely on in their darkest hours is in danger of arriving late, underpowered or not at all.

The early morning of Friday brought a fresh reminder of what is at stake. At least 81 people, including 28 children, died in catastrophic flooding in Central Texas that occurred following record rainfall. In just four hours, the amount of rain that typically falls over four months fell — upward of 15 inches in some parts of the region — triggering flash floods that swept away cars, washed out roads and submerged parts of a summer camp and entire neighborhoods. Emergency responders carried out desperate water rescues as rivers surged beyond their banks.

The devastation struck a region still reeling from earlier flooding this spring, which had already prompted a major disaster declaration from President Trump. Recovery from that storm is far from over.

These are not isolated incidents; we now live in an era of climate change with faster, stronger and less predictable storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, now warns of “rapid intensification,” when tropical systems quickly escalate from mild to major hurricanes in a matter of hours. That compresses the time emergency managers have to evacuate communities, marshall resources and respond. It leaves less room for error and demands more from the systems that protect us. And yet, the very system designed to meet this moment is being hollowed out.

The uncomfortable truth is this: With each passing day, the federal government is becoming less prepared to face the next big disaster. And as the risk grows, the ability to deliver on its vital disaster response mission is shrinking.

I’ve spent over 25 years responding to disasters. I know what it looks like when government rises to the moment, and I know the warning signs when it’s about to fall short. Those signs are flashing now.