When the Water Rises: Learning from the Texas Tragedy

In the early days of July 2025, Texas witnessed yet another devastating chapter in its long history with extreme weather. Torrential rainfall inundated communities from Houston to Austin, leaving neighbourhoods submerged, families displaced, and lives lost. At least 135 people have died, including 37 children, and thousands remain without power or safe drinking water. For those affected, this is not just a disaster; it is a heartbreak, a trauma, and a call for help.

Our thoughts are first and foremost with the victims, the parents who carried their children through floodwaters, the elderly stranded without support, the first responders stretched to breaking point, and the families grieving unfathomable loss. These human stories must remain at the centre of any conversation that follows. But to honour the victims fully, we must also ask why this happened and how we might prevent the next crisis.

A Climate Fueled Crisis

Texas has always known extreme weather. But scientists are increasingly clear: climate change is intensifying these events, making them both more frequent and more destructive. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Gulf Coast has seen a 15% increase in rainfall from tropical systems since 1970. A 2023 study from the University of Texas at Austin found that for every 1°C of global warming, the region sees a 7% increase in extreme precipitation events.

What made this storm particularly devastating was the "stalling effect", the system parked over the same region for more than 36 hours, dumping more than 20 inches (500mm) of rain in places. Climate scientists link this phenomenon to a weakening jet stream, itself influenced by the warming Arctic. It’s a stark reminder: climate change is not some distant or abstract threat—it is here, now, and drowning towns in its wake.

Infrastructure and Austerity: A Deadly Combination

Floods are natural. But disasters, at this scale, are often man-made. Texas has long struggled with underinvestment in flood defences and drainage infrastructure. A 2022 report from the Texas Floodplain Management Association warned that over 70% of the state’s stormwater systems were “outdated or undersized” for modern rainfall patterns.

Compounding this, federal funding for FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance programme was slashed by nearly 30% between 2021 and 2024. At the state level, several critical climate resilience projects were quietly defunded in favour of short-term tax cuts. In 2023, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality saw its budget for community flood resilience reduced by $68 million, a decision now drawing sharp criticism.

Local officials have also faced challenges. Smaller municipalities, often with the greatest flood risk, simply don’t have the resources to upgrade systems or create comprehensive evacuation plans. The result? Vulnerable communities were left with few options as the waters rose.

Expert Voices: What Went Wrong

Dr. Katrina Lo, a climate resilience researcher at Rice University, was blunt in a recent interview: “We’ve had decades of warnings. We know which areas flood. We know which communities lack resources. The science is not in doubt. What’s missing is the political will to act pre-emptively, not just reactively.”

Her sentiments echo those of FEMA’s former regional administrator, Tony Robinson, who in a 2024 testimony to Congress warned that “disaster management without robust climate adaptation funding is like fighting a wildfire with a squirt gun.”

A 2023 audit by the Texas Water Development Board revealed that while billions had been allocated for water infrastructure, less than 15% was being directed to climate adaptation or disaster resilience. The audit concluded that floodplain development continued largely unchecked in some of the most at-risk counties.

Charting a Smarter, Safer Future

If Texas, and indeed the wider world, wants to reduce the scale of future disasters, it must combine climate mitigation with proactive resilience strategies. Here are several recommendations drawn from experts across the field:

1. Invest in Resilient Infrastructure: Flood-resilient building codes, green stormwater systems, and modernised drainage networks must be top priorities. Nature-based solutions such as restored wetlands and permeable urban surfaces can also absorb excess water more effectively than concrete alone.

2. Strengthen Local Emergency Systems: Funding for local emergency planning and response, especially in low-income or rural communities, must be protected, not trimmed. Early-warning systems and community evacuation protocols save lives.

3. Reform Floodplain Development: Incentivising relocation away from high-risk areas and imposing stricter controls on new developments in floodplains could reduce long-term exposure.

4. Climate-Proof Budgets: Federal and state agencies should be required to assess the climate impact of their funding decisions. Short-term fiscal savings should not come at the cost of long-term disaster vulnerability.

5. Elevate Climate Education: Public understanding of climate risks is crucial. Programmes that help communities understand how their landscapes are changing, and what they can do, build trust and participation.

Collective Responsibility, Not Just Policy

While governments must lead, citizens, businesses, and civil society also have vital roles to play. From reducing carbon emissions to volunteering in disaster relief to holding leaders accountable, collective action is our greatest tool.

Texas is not alone in its struggle. Cities from Germany to India have faced similar calamities in recent years. The shared thread is clear: wherever climate disruption meets institutional underpreparedness, suffering follows. But equally, where foresight, investment, and empathy converge, resilience grows.

The road ahead will be long. Rebuilding takes time. Healing takes longer. But with courage and clarity, Texas, and the rest of us, can choose a different path.

We can’t stop the rain. But we can stop the worst of its damage. And we owe it to those who lost everything to make that choice now.