Tropical Storm Bertha is barreling toward the Texas coast Thursday, threatening communities already stretched to the breaking point by a border crisis the federal government won't solve — and now they get to find out whether FEMA considers them worth saving.
Bertha made landfall in Louisiana Wednesday afternoon just south of New Orleans and is tracking west, with the National Hurricane Center expecting the storm's center to move near or along the upper Texas coast before pushing inland Thursday evening. Sustained winds are holding near 45 mph, with tropical storm warnings stretching from Morgan City, Louisiana, to Sargent, Texas. Forecasters warn of 2 to 4 inches of rain, with isolated totals hitting 6 inches, enough for flash flooding in urban areas. A coastal flood warning covers Lower St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, where 2 to 3 feet of inundation is expected to swamp homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure.
These are the same Gulf Coast and South Texas communities that have spent years absorbing the costs of a border crisis — cartel activity, fentanyl, mass crossings, drained local budgets. Now they're in the path of a storm that The New York Times practically shrugged off, noting Bertha made landfall
