Texas Disaster Adds to US Flood Costs That Exceed $200 Billion
It's too early to know the exact toll of the flooding in Texas, which killed more than 100 people. But a preliminary estimate from AccuWeather Inc. puts the total damage and economic loss at $18 billion to $22 billion, a figure that includes direct and indirect impacts as well as long-term effects on businesses like tourism.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
17 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Google to Pay $2.4 Billion in Deal to License Tech of Coding Startup, Hire CEO
Google has agreed to pay about $2.4 billion in a deal to license the technology of AI coding startup Windsurf and hire its CEO and some of its employees, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal comes after talks for OpenAI to acquire Windsurf stalled, the people said.
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump voices shock at devastating scale of Texas flood damage
US President Donald Trump spoke Friday of seeing devastation like he'd never before experienced as he toured parts of Texas hit by devastating flash floods that have left at least 120 people dead, including dozens of children. The Republican leader and First Lady Melania Trump were in the Hill Country of central Texas to meet first responders, victims' families and local officials, a week after a rain-swollen river swept away houses, camp cabins, cars and people. "This is a tough one. I've never seen anything like this," Trump said at a roundtable meeting in Kerrville, in the worst-affected Kerr County. "I've gone to a lot of hurricanes, a lot of tornadoes. I've never seen anything like this. This is a bad one." Trump lashed out at reporters for questioning authorities' response to the disaster and said he wanted to focus on solidarity with emergency workers and volunteers. "All across the country, Americans' hearts are shattered," said Trump, speaking at a table draped in a black banner with the message "Texas Strong." "I had to be here as president. The first lady wanted to be here." He compared the suddenly rising floodwaters to a "giant wave in the Pacific Ocean that the best surfers in the world would be afraid to surf." Earlier, the Trumps were met by Governor Greg Abbott near the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, in an area with numerous downed trees and an overturned tractor trailer. They were briefed by Texas Emergency Management and Kerrville Fire Dept officials, and greeted by 30 or so rescue workers and Coast Guard members. The search for more than 170 missing people, including five girls who were at summer camp, was in its eighth day as rescue teams combed through mounds of debris and mud. But with no live rescues reported this week, worries have swelled that the death toll could still rise. Trump has brushed off questions about the impact of his cuts to federal agencies on the response to the flood, which he described as a "100-year catastrophe" that "nobody expected." On Thursday, Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem, who was with Trump in Texas, defended the immediate response as "swift and efficient." But Texas officials have faced questions about why emergency evacuation messages to residents and visitors along the flooding Guadalupe River reportedly were delayed, in some cases by hours. Trump expressed support for a flood warning system in a telephone interview with NBC News on Thursday. - FEMA questions - The floods, among America's deadliest in recent years, have reopened questions about Trump's plans to phase out federal disaster response agency FEMA in lieu of greater state-based responsibility. FEMA began its response to the Texas flash floods over the weekend after Trump signed a major disaster declaration to release federal resources. But the president has so far avoided addressing questions about its future. Noem insisted FEMA should be "eliminated" in its current form at a government review meeting Wednesday. Officials in Kerr County, which sits astride the Guadalupe River in an area nicknamed "Flash Flood Alley," said at least 36 children were killed in the disaster at the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Details have surfaced about reported delays to early alerts at a local level that could have saved lives. Experts say forecasters did their best and sent out timely and accurate warnings despite a sudden weather change. ABC News reported Thursday that at 4:22 am on July 4, a firefighter in Ingram, upstream of Kerrville, had asked the Kerr County Sheriff's Office to alert residents of nearby Hunt to the coming flood. The network said its affiliate KSAT obtained audio of the call, and that the first alert did not reach Kerr County's CodeRED system for a full 90 minutes. In some cases, it said, the warning messages didn't arrive until after 10:00 am, when hundreds of people had already been swept away. The flooding of the Guadalupe River was particularly devastating for summer camps on its banks, including Camp Mystic, where 27 girls and counselors died. dk-ft/acb
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NY Gov. Kathy Hochul launches online guide for Trump's tariffs
NEW YORK (PIX11) – New York Governor Kathy Hochul has published an online resource guide to help navigate President Trump's new tariffs. 'International trade helps support the growth of New York State companies of all sizes, whether they're exporting or importing goods and services to expand their business and customer base,' reads the website. 'Understanding tariffs is important for companies looking to lower potential risk to their operations and supply chains.' More Local News The website includes details on how imports and exports may be affected. It will also tell New Yorkers and small business owners what products are subject to tariffs. A tariff is a tax imposed by a government on goods imported from another country. Tariffs raise costs for companies and consumers that rely on imports. For example, if a toy from a specific country costs $10 and a 50% tariff is imposed on items from that country, you will now pay extra because a tariff has been imposed. The new price will be $15, because 50% of $10 is $5. Trump has long promised tariffs; it was one of his key campaign promises to raise U.S. taxes on foreign goods to narrow the gap with the tariffs the White House says other countries unfairly impose on U.S. products. The White House has sent letters outlining higher tariffs to countries if they don't make trade deals with the U.S. by August. Brazil Myanmar Laos Cambodia Thailand Bangladesh Canada Serbia Indonesia Algeria Bosnia and Herzegovina Iraq Libya South Africa Sri Lanka Brunei Moldova Japan Kazakhstan Malaysia South Korea Tunisia Philippines Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
