This is a heartbreaking column to write. But as the flood tragedies in Texas and New Mexico unfold, heartbreak is unavoidable. More families are reeling from the deaths of children, missing loved ones, and homes and lives destroyed.
As I watched the crisis in Texas, my mind went back to childhood memories — when my sister and a friend from another Hobbs family went off to Camp Mystic in the Hill Country. They were excited to go and returned glowing from the experience.
I also remembered peaceful summers in Ruidoso, walking on river rocks and spotting minnows in the lazy Rio Ruidoso. One day, a thunderstorm rolled in, and we panicked — my little brother had wandered off and was briefly lost. That fear was real, but it’s nothing compared to what families in Texas are feeling now.
What if my sister hadn’t come home from camp? What if we had woken up to the news she and her friend had been swept away by floodwaters and were considered missing? That nightmare is now real for some Texas families — families whose daughters were headed to summer camp and never returned. There will always be an empty chair at the table.
That’s why it’s especially painful — and infuriating — when Texas Governor Greg Abbott dismisses questions about recent failures to fund emergency warning systems as “loser talk.” It’s a pattern. When 21 people — 19 students and two educators — were killed in Uvalde, Abbott insisted it wasn’t the time to talk about law enforcement failures or gun safety. “Thoughts and prayers” were supposed to suffice.
Try telling that to the parents whose kids won’t come home from school. Or to those whose children won’t be returning from camp. Try explaining why $1 million in grant money for flood warning systems was denied to a known high-risk area — what experts call “Flash Flood Alley.” Denied in spite of the fact that Texas has received $1.9 billion for such purposes over 10 years and officials knowing the dangers.
Investigations by the New York Times and Texas Tribune show that, over the past seven years, Kerr County officials made at least three requests for flood warning funding. All were denied. One 2018 request was rejected in favor of counties affected by Hurricane Harvey. Kerr wasn’t one of them.
In 2024, the Guadalupe River Authority again sought help — warning of potential catastrophe. The Texas Water Development Board approved just 5% of the needed funds, effectively dooming the project. And nothing happened.
Meanwhile, FEMA has been absent, and its interim director lacks emergency management experience. President Trump has threatened to defund FEMA altogether. Leadership matters. So does showing up.
By contrast, New Mexico took action. In 2024, the state allocated $100 million for wildfire recovery in Ruidoso, including funds for flood mitigation. Even so, three lives were lost and 200 homes destroyed this year. But it could have been far worse without the investment and the cooperation between the mayor, legislators, and the governor.
I’m a mom and a grandmother. I assume many elected officials in Texas are, too. So I ask: When is the right time to ask the tough questions? When they swore to protect their constituents, didn’t that include protection from guns and natural disasters? When they ran on promises to keep communities safe, what did they mean?
As one local Kerrville resident said – “this is this is the best time to ask the hard questions. If they don’t, the can will get kicked down the road.” Tragically, even raising the questions now is too late for campers and families who deserved better.
Exactly!! Minimizing and deflecting when what is needed is accountability AND leadership. The tragedy is in both instances children paid the high price.