SerpApi.Org
As residents of the Texas Hill Country try to clean up after last week’s floods, many residents are asking what is next.
Two people were killed and nearly 600 homes and 100 businesses were damaged or destroyed across Kerr, Kendall and Comal counties. The flooding occurred just a little over a year after floodwaters killed 135 people in the same area.
Kylie Niveder, a member of the advocacy group Extreme Weather Survivors, grew up in Hunt and said this type of flooding is not normal.
"Flooding has always been a fact of life but no one's home had ever flooded," Nidever explained. "Now all of a sudden it's happened twice and is it going to keep happening?"
Nidever argued there has not been a widespread response from local, state or national governments, and neighbors are helping neighbors. Gov. Greg Abbott said although the rain has stopped, flooding downstream remains a concern for some counties. Abbott added the state is transitioning into the process of cleanup and rebuilding.
Multiple sirens and warning systems have been installed in the region in the last 12 months. Nidever noted although there was not a large death count this year, the devastation is greater. Nidever argued lawmakers should pass legislation prohibiting development in the floodway so it never happens again.
"It was all new last year, now we're turning into old pros at it, I guess. We just got to work immediately," Nidever observed. "Time is sort of the essence when it floods, getting belongings out of homes and getting the drying out process started."
The Guadalupe River rose above 37 feet during the flooding. Emergency officials said all rivers in the region hit record highs.
