The Texas Flood was in the future preview
This story originally Appears in Grist It is part of Climate desk collaboration.
The country was watching Texas in fear as heavily rain drizzled earlier this month. At least 135 people To their deaths. In Kerr County alone, 107 people have lost, including more than 20 children from Camp Mystic.
It’s easy and even appealing to think from afar that this kind of flood will never happen to you. Disasters are far away.
it’s not.
As the tragedy details were focused, the list of contribution factors increased. A sudden downpour driven by climate change. Lack of a comprehensive warning system to notify people that the Guadalupe River is rising rapidly. Rampant buildings in areas known to be flooded, coupled with incomplete information about which locations are at risk.
These are the same elements that can cause Kerr County type catastrophes in all states in the country. It is a reality that it has already been unfolding many times in recent years. Vermont, Kentucky, North Carolina Elsewhere, it leaves behind sadness and billions of dollars of destruction behind.
“Ker County is an extreme example of what’s going on everywhere,” said Robert Freudenberg, vice president of energy and environmental programs at the Association of Regional Planning. “People are at risk for that and there’s more we need to do.”
The most obvious problem is to continue building in areas with flood-prone trends. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, produces easily available maps that show high-risk locations. However, according to the latest data from a non-profit climate research company First Street Foundation7.9 million homes and other structures stand in FEMA’s special flood hazard area, specifying locations that are more than 1% possible in a given year.
FEMA Flood Zone Top 10
Source: First Street Foundation
In Louisiana, 23% of the nation’s leading property is located in the FEMA Flood Zone. In Florida, it’s about 17%. Arkansas, New Mexico and Nebraska are probably the top 10 expected members. New Jersey saw heavy rain along with New York City And then the flood that killed two people earlier this month.
Texas is seventh in the country, with about 800,000 properties, or about 6.5% of the state’s total, sitting in the flood zone. Kerr County officials Has limited authority They will prevent people from building in these areas, but even if the government has the ability to prevent dangerous building projects, they are not historically. One study was found That several areas are finally beginning to curb the development of flood plainspeople continue to build in dangerous places.
“There’s an innate draw in the water we have, but we need to know where the limits are,” Freudenberg said. “In places that are really dangerous, we need to work to ensure that people are not injuring harm.”
Kerr County is located in an area known as the Flash Flood Alley; At least four cabins At camp, Mystic sat in a very dangerous “flood.” Many others were standing on the road of a 100-year flood. When Christian Summer Camp was expanded in 2019, The owner built more cabins By the water path.