A Texas Hill Country still scarred by last year's flood that killed 139 people is underwater again — one person is already dead — while Washington continues prioritizing foreign aid over the infrastructure that might keep Americans alive.
Flash flood emergencies swept through Kerr, Uvalde, and surrounding counties overnight as up to 20 inches of rain fell in 48 hours, with forecasts warning of up to 30 inches total — 10 inches more than last year's catastrophic Fourth of July flood. The Guadalupe River at Center Point rose 32 feet in four hours, according to ABC News. At Hunt, it surged from 9 to 19 feet in a single hour. These are border-adjacent communities — Kinney, Maverick, and Zavala counties are also under flood warnings — that watched 139 people die last July when floodwaters overwhelmed aging infrastructure. Governor Greg Abbott confirmed Thursday that one person has died in the current flooding and more than 75 people have been rescued so far.
Abbott issued disaster declarations for 59 counties and deployed more than 1,300 state personnel, 800 vehicles, 75 boats, and 20 aircraft. "We are dealing with and responding to a flood that is likely going to break records," Abbott said. The National Weather Service didn't mince words: "THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!"
Representative Chip Roy, whose district includes Kerr County, warned residents Thursday morning: "Don't underestimate the danger: conditions can change in minutes." The City of Kerrville issued shelter-in-place orders. Evacuations are underway along the Guadalupe River floodplain, including Goat Creek and Arcadia Loop neighborhoods. Engineers assessed the Highway 87 bridge over the Guadalupe River at Comfort and found it structurally sound — for now. All major highways in Uvalde County are closed.
Here is the question no outlet wants to press: one year after 139 Americans died in these same rivers, why are these communities still so vulnerable? Breitbart noted the somber one-year memorial just two weeks ago — the trauma still raw, the infrastructure still inadequate. The Guardian and ABC News reported the rising waters and rescues but skipped the accountability angle entirely. Last year's flood should have triggered a federal infrastructure response on an emergency basis — reinforced bridges, upgraded drainage, expanded flood control on the Guadalupe. Instead, the region got memorial services.
Meanwhile, Congress sends tens of billions to Ukraine, Israel, and foreign aid projects worldwide with bipartisan enthusiasm. The same bipartisan consensus can't find the urgency to fortify the Texas Hill Country against a flood that was always going to come again. Abbott activated 1,300 personnel this week — a state response to a crisis that federal investment could have mitigated before the water started rising.
The Guadalupe River is cresting. The bridges are holding — barely. And the same Washington that prints money for every overseas commitment is nowhere to be found when Texas communities drown in repeat disasters they were promised would never happen again.
