Survivors of the deadly July 4 flood in Central Texas are planning to confront state lawmakers next week after their disaster response has left many feeling “abandoned,” The New York Times reported Thursday.
“I get that people have to go home and return to their lives,” said Mike Richards, whose property was ravaged by the flood, speaking to The New York Times. “But you can’t help but feel abandoned.”
Richards was one of many Texans along the Guadalupe River who have worked tirelessly with volunteers to search for survivors, and he joins a growing number of frustrated residents planning to attend a Texas legislative committee on Aug. 7 to confront lawmakers on what they say has been an inadequate response.
“Not a damned penny came through this gate from my taxpaying dollars,” Richards said. “And I don’t understand why.”
Both local and federal officials have faced scrutiny for the response to the flood, which killed at least 138 people, making it the deadliest flood in the United States in nearly 50 years.
Some experts have laid blame almost entirely on local officials and their failures to proactively prepare, given the region’s nickname of “flash flood alley.” Local law enforcement and officials have struggled to answer questions and, at times, have outright dodged inquiries from members of the press.
Others have pointed to President Donald Trump’s funding cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with staffing shortages at the National Weather Service.
Where a consensus does exist, however, is among those affected, who have unilaterally called for help from state and local officials to continue the search for survivors, clear debris or fund recovery efforts.
“It’s good that they are coming here and thinking of ways to prevent tragedies,” said Graciela Reyes, a volunteer for the recovery efforts, speaking with the New York Times. “They keep telling us that there is no way they could have predicted this. But maybe, they should have.”