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Abbott: Flooding death toll now at 135
Gov. Greg Abbott said late last week that the statewide death toll from the catastrophic flooding in the Hill Country stands at 135, and the number of persons missing has dropped to three.
The July 4 flooding began when the storm stalled over what is known as “Flash Flood Alley,” The Dallas Morning News reported.
The death toll in the Kerrville area now stands at 116, including 27 children and counselors who were at Camp Mystic, an allgirls camp. Abbott has declared a state disaster in 26 counties across Central Texas, the Hill Country and South Texas, which allows those areas to seek federal aid.
The legislative special session, which began on Monday, aims to create new laws that provide relief funding, enhance disaster preparedness and streamline government responses to disasters.
Abbott said he is seeking legislation “that will make preparation for these types of events better, make response to these types of events better to make sure that we leave this disaster in a way that puts Texas in a better position going forward than we were before this devastating storm hit our state.”
Residents in the six counties already eligible for aid via the Federal Emergency Management Agency have already filed more than 2,000 applications for assistance, according to the San Antonio Express- News.
18 ITEMS ON SPECIAL SESSION AGENDA SO FAR
Besides dealing with the aftermath of the July 4 flooding, Abbott has called for lawmakers to redraw congressional districts in response to a notification from the Justice Department that four seats now held by Democrats might violate the law, The News reported.
While Republicans hope to gain seats at the expense of Democrats, some political experts say any alteration of the map could hurt GOP incumbents.
The department raised concerns over the legality of four districts in Houston and the Dallas area that have non-white majority populations.
Lawmakers also will consider regulating THC products derived from hemp after Abbott vetoed an outright ban on the products that passed during the regular session. He has also called on them to address abortion and “protecting women’s privacy in sex-segregated spaces.”
Only the governor can list agenda items for a special session, which lasts 30 days. There is no limit to the number of special sessions he can call between biennial regular sessions.
FULLY FUNDING STATE FLOOD PLAN WOULD COST $54 BILLION
The State Flood Plan, released in December by the Texas Water Development Board, would cost the state $54 billion if fully implemented, according to the Texas Standard.
If every flood threat were eliminated, it would involve removing more than 840,000 people and 214,000 buildings from 100year floodplains.
To date, the state has committed $669 million through the Flood Infrastructure Fund, which is approximately 1% of the total required.
“That is a drop in the bucket in a lot of ways,” said Derek Boese, general manager of the San Antonio River Authority and chair of the planning group that covers 2.2 million people across 16 counties. “But it’s more than we’ve seen in the past.”
The most significant chunk of the $54 billion would go toward storm surge protection for Galveston Bay at a cost of $24 billion.
Approximately five million Texans reside in areas vulnerable to flooding. The State Flood Plan was developed in response to Hurricane Harvey in August 2017.
VIGILANCE URGED AFTER FOUR CHILDREN DIE IN PARKED VEHICLES
Four children have died in hot automobiles in a two-week period, and the Texas Department of State Health Services is urging vigilance. The deaths surpass the three hot car deaths recorded in all of 2024 in Texas.
“The temperature inside a vehicle can rise nearly 20 degrees in 10 minutes, and heatstroke will occur when a child’s body can’t cool itself quickly enough. Children – and pets – should never be left in the car for any length of time,” DSHS Commissioner Jennifer A. Shuford said.
Suffering heatstroke in a parked car is the second-leading cause of vehicle-related deaths in children under 15, behind car crashes.
DSHS recommends never leaving a child alone in a vehicle, even if the car and air conditioner are running. Always check the back seat before getting out of the car and call 911 immediately if you see a child alone in a vehicle.
COURT ORDERS UVALDE OFFICIALS TO RELEASE SHOOTING RECORDS
A San Antonio state appeals court has ordered Uvalde County and the Uvalde school district to release records relating to the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary, the Express-News reported. The records include unseen body camera footage from responding officers, radio communications, internal emails and text messages.
The county and district repeatedly have denied Public Information Act requests from a coalition of local and national news outlets.
In a 22-page ruling, Justice Velia Meza wrote the county and district did not provide a valid legal or factual justification for withholding public information.
“Exceptions to disclosure cannot be used to justify blanket secrecy over government actions; rather, they must be specifically authorized by law and supported by evidence,” Meza wrote.
It is unclear if the county and district plan to appeal the ruling to the Texas Supreme Court.
BIG MONEY SHAPING GOP STATEWIDE PRIMARIES
The two open races for attorney general and comptroller are sure to bring in millions of dollars in campaign funds in the GOP primary races, The Texas Tribune noted. In the attorney general’s race, former U.S. Justice Department lawyer Aaron Reitz raised $2.1 million in the first three weeks of his campaign. State Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston has kicked in $10 million of his own money, while state Sen. Joan Huffman of Houston has $3 million in her campaign account.
In the comptroller’s race, Texas Railroad Commission Chair Christi Craddick outraised interim comptroller Kelly Hancock by almost $1.5 million. A third contender, former state senator Don Huffines reported raising $15 million, with two-thirds of that coming from a personal loan.
Former comptroller Glenn Hegar was named chancellor of the Texas A&M University System and left his post on July 1. Hancock, a former state senator, was named acting comptroller. Attorney General Ken Paxton is not seeking re-election in order to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the primary.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin, and Cedar Park. Email:[email protected]
