Sustainable Switch: Devastating Texas floods
To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here.
Hello,
Deadly downpours hit Texas, United States, over the weekend, with a death toll from the catastrophic floods reaching at least 96 people, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp continues. Meanwhile, a powerful typhoon struck southern Taiwan this week, killing two people and injuring more than 630 in a rare hit to the island's densely populated west coast.
But before we get into the details of the flooding in Texas, please note that Sustainable Switch will be taking a short summer break, returning on July 24 with all the latest environmental, social, and governance developments.
Now, in Texas, as search teams waded through muddy riverbanks and flew aircraft over the state's flood-ravaged central areas on Monday, hopes dimmed of finding survivors among dozens still missing from a disaster that has claimed at least 96 lives, many of them children.
Taiwan also experienced extreme downpours as Typhoon Danas lashed the island with record winds and strong rain early on Monday, killing two people and injuring more than 630 in a rare hit to the island's densely populated west coast.
The National Fire Agency said one person was killed by a falling tree while driving, and another died after their respirator malfunctioned due to a power cut.
What happened in Texas?
The flooding in Texas occurred after the nearby Guadalupe River broke its banks after torrential rain on Friday, the U.S. Independence Day holiday.
State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, ahead of the July 4 holiday, that parts of central Texas faced the possibility of flash floods based on National Weather Service forecasts.
But twice as much rain, opens new tab as was predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, City Manager Dalton Rice said.
Rice said the outcome was unforeseen and unfolded in a matter of two hours, leaving too little time to conduct a precautionary mass evacuation without the risk of placing more people in harm's way.
Among the worst affected was Camp Mystic summer camp, where 700 girls were in residence at the time of the flooding, according to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.
Officials confirmed that 27 campers and counselors were among those who had died, while 10 girls and a camp counsellor were still unaccounted for, as search-and-rescue personnel faced the potential of more heavy rains and thunderstorms while clawing through tons of muck-laden debris.
Questions over accountability
Debates intensified over questions about how state and local officials reacted to weather alerts forecasting the possibility of a flash flood and the lack of an early warning siren system that might have mitigated the disaster.
Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration made it harder for officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm.
Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts at the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer asked the Department of Commerce's acting inspector general to investigate whether cuts at the National Weather Service affected its response to central Texas flooding. He asked the watchdog to scrutinize the office's communications with Kerr County officials.
On Monday, Patrick vowed that the state would "step up" to pay for installing a flash-flood warning system in Kerrville by next summer if local governments "can't afford it."
ESG LENS
U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war, telling 14 nations, from powerhouse suppliers such as Japan and South Korea to minor trade players, that they now face sharply higher tariffs from a new deadline of August 1.
Trump also threatened leaders of developing nations in the BRICS grouping meeting in Brazil with an additional 10% tariff if they adopt "anti-American" policies. The bloc includes Brazil, Russia, India, and China among others.
Click here to sign up for the Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter to keep up with all the latest tariff news.
Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also subscribe here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Boy dies after being swept into drain pipe during East Coast flooding
A 13-year-old boy has died after being trapped in a storm drain during heavy rainfall and flooding on the US East Coast, officials have confirmed. The tragedy unfolded on Thursday in Mount Airy, a town of about 10,000 people, 30 miles (48 kilometres) west of Baltimore. Children were playing in a common area when floodwaters swept the boy into the pipe, according to Doug Alexander, spokesman for the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company. People attempted to rescue him, but the water pressure was too strong, pushing him further in, Mr Alexander said. He was freed after the rain slowed, but it was too late. The National Weather Service has warned that more storms could bring flash and urban flooding to the northern mid-Atlantic and southern New England through Friday night. Parts of the Baltimore area received 2.5 to 4 inches (6 to 10 centimeters) Thursday, according to the weather service, but isolated areas received more, including 5 inches (nearly 13 centimeters) in Mount Airy and 6 inches (15 centimeters) in Joppatowne northeast of Baltimore, where people were rescued from flooded cars. A few areas in New York and New Jersey saw 3 inches (nearly 8 centimeters) or more of rain and one part of central Long Island reported more than 4 inches (10 centimeters), according to the weather service. By Friday morning, subways and commuter rail routes in the New York area were running on normal schedules after some sections were inundated by floodwaters. The city's Department of Transportation also reported that roads and highways that had been shut down due to high water Thursday were reopened. A few dozen flights were delayed or canceled at major airports in the New York, Boston and Washington regions Friday morning, but most were running on time, according to the FlightAware tracking service. Power remained out to thousands of homes and businesses along the Eastern Seaboard on Friday morning, including nearly 5,000 in New York, 3,800 in Virginia, 2,500 in Maryland and 2,500 in Pennsylvania, according to Amtrak trains between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware, were stopped Thursday evening because of high water over the tracks, but Amtrak announced a few hours later that service had been restored and water was receding from the tracks. New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other local officials pleaded with people Thursday to stay off the roads and urged residents in basement apartments to move to higher locations as rain was expected to fall through Friday afternoon.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Boy, 13, dies after getting trapped in a storm drain during East Coast flooding
A 13-year-old boy died after he was trapped in a storm drain in Maryland during heavy rainfall and flooding on the East Coast, officials said. Kids were playing in the rain Thursday in a common area between apartment buildings in Mount Airy, a town of about 10,000 people about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Baltimore, but floodwaters rushed in and the boy was swept into the pipe, according to Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company spokesman Doug Alexander. People tried to rescue the boy, but the water pressure was too strong and kept pushing him further into the pipe, he said. After the rain slowed, they were able to free him, but it was too late, Alexander said. More storms might bring flash and urban flooding to the northern mid-Atlantic and southern New England through Friday night, the National Weather Service warned. Parts of the Baltimore area received 2.5 to 4 inches (6 to 10 centimeters) Thursday, according to the weather service, but isolated areas received more, including 5 inches (nearly 13 centimeters) in Mount Airy and 6 inches (15 centimeters) in Joppatowne northeast of Baltimore, where people were rescued from flooded cars. A few areas in New York and New Jersey saw 3 inches (nearly 8 centimeters) or more of rain and one part of central Long Island reported more than 4 inches (10 centimeters), according to the weather service. By Friday morning, subways and commuter rail routes in the New York area were running on normal schedules after some sections were inundated by floodwaters. The city's Department of Transportation also reported that roads and highways that had been shut down due to high water Thursday were reopened. A few dozen flights were delayed or canceled at major airports in the New York, Boston and Washington regions Friday morning, but most were running on time, according to the FlightAware tracking service. Power remained out to thousands of homes and businesses along the Eastern Seaboard on Friday morning, including nearly 5,000 in New York, 3,800 in Virginia, 2,500 in Maryland and 2,500 in Pennsylvania, according to Amtrak trains between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware, were stopped Thursday evening because of high water over the tracks, but Amtrak announced a few hours later that service had been restored and water was receding from the tracks. New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other local officials pleaded with people Thursday to stay off the roads and urged residents in basement apartments to move to higher locations as rain was expected to fall through Friday afternoon.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
States of emergency for NYC and NJ declared following extreme weather
Heavy rain and thunderstorms caused widespread flash flooding across New York City, New Jersey, and the wider Northeast US on Thursday, marking the second such event in two weeks. States of emergency were declared in New York and New Jersey, with officials urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel and dismiss employees early due to inundated roads and public transport disruptions. Hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed at major New York airports including Newark, LaGuardia, and JFK, significantly impacting travel. Tragically, a child died in Mount Airy, Maryland, after being swept into a storm drain during the severe weather. The National Weather Service attributed the intense rainfall to a slow-moving cold front carrying an unusual amount of moisture, affecting over 50 million people under flood watches.
