145 Dead in Texas: How Warnings Were Missed & Who’s to Blame

Written by Saransh kamboj – Intern, Allegedly The News

On July 15th, 2025, Texas awoke to devastation. Cities underwater, highways turned rivers, and a death toll climbing past 145. The flash floods that swept through central and southeastern parts of the state were not unforeseen. In fact, they were predicted in excruciating detail yet the response, coordination, and mitigation efforts failed catastrophically.

As families mourn, survivors rage, and politicians dodge accountability, we trace what went wrong from ignored weather alerts to federal-state standoffs and ask the question now pulsing through public consciousness:

who let this happen?

Part I: The Rain Didn’t Come Out of Nowhere

July 10, 2025 – 72 Hours Before Landfall

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued an “Extreme Rainfall Event Watch” covering Harris, Fort Bend, and Travis counties. Forecast models predicted 20–30 inches of rain in five days some noting it could rival Hurricane Harvey (2017) in volume but be worse in speed.

A leaked Slack message from the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), obtained by the Houston Tribune, revealed a chilling dismissiveness:

“NWS is in panic mode again. We’ll activate once the governor’s office confirms threat level.”

No confirmation ever came.

July 12 – The Deluge Begins

Rain hit San Marcos and Austin first, with 6 inches falling in 4 hours. By midnight, flood gauges had already crossed danger levels in over 23 locations.

And yet, no regional flood alerts were pushed to mobile phones. Why?

According to a FEMA internal report, the state had opted out of the federal "Integrated Public Alert & Warning System" (IPAWS) for localized messaging in April 2024, citing "administrative delays."

That “delay” cost lives.

Part II: The Silent Hours That Killed

July 13 – Flash Flood Emergency Declared Too Late

Residents of Cypress and Bellaire report seeing water rise up to their chest level before any official warning reached them. Social media was flooded (no pun intended) with TikToks and X (formerly Twitter) posts like this one:

“We’re floating on a mattress. No one came. No one warned us. #TexasFlood #WheresFEMA”

The Flash Flood Emergency was only declared 8 hours after the NWS threshold had been crossed. By then, apartment buildings had been swept off their foundations.

Emergency dispatchers were reportedly overwhelmed, with response times exceeding 70 minutes in many zones.

Part III: Abbott vs Biden — The Political Blame Game

Texas: “We Had It Under Control”

Governor Greg Abbott, in his first public briefing, claimed the state had “acted in accordance with its protocols.” When asked about the missed alerts and delayed mobilization of National Guard units, his office blamed “communications misalignment with federal agencies.”

Critics weren't having it.
Civil engineer Maria Delgado, whose organization had flagged failing levees near the Brazos River last year, called Abbott's response "reckless denial."

“He was warned. The infrastructure wasn’t ready. This isn’t misalignment—it’s negligence.”

The White House Fires Back

President Biden declared a federal emergency on July 14 two days later than requested by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX). The delay, according to a leaked FEMA memo, was due to “incomplete paperwork and jurisdictional overlaps.”

But in an uncharacteristically sharp press conference, Biden fired back:

“The state had full warning. Our agencies were on standby. When political pride gets in the way of public safety, people die.”

Part IV: The Victims & the Voices

Among the 145 dead were:

• 12 schoolchildren trapped in a flooded daycare in Katy.
• 9 nursing home residents in Pearland left behind when evacuation buses were rerouted.
• An entire volunteer fire team in Bastrop who drowned trying to reach submerged homes.

Survivor Stories

“We were told to stay put, that it would pass. Then the water rose to the attic. My mom didn’t make it,”
said Joelle Nguyen, a 17-year-old Houston resident rescued by kayak.

Social media was the only lifeline for many. A hashtag campaign #AbbottKnew trended globally for 36 hours. Activists now demand a federal probe into both the disaster preparation and the alert system failure.

Part V: Infrastructure, or Lack Thereof

Texas has long resisted federal environmental regulation, often touting state sovereignty and deregulation. But multiple studies from the Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Geological Survey show:

• Over 61% of levees and drainage systems in central Texas are rated “inadequate.”
• The 2024 “Dry Season Dredging Program” was canceled due to budget cuts.
• Urban development in flood-prone zones like East Austin and Sugar Land continued unchecked, with zoning waivers tied to campaign donors.

Part VI: A System Set to Fail

Experts believe the disaster wasn’t just meteorological it was systemic.

Dr. Layla Mendoza, climate risk analyst at MIT:

“This wasn’t a natural disaster. This was engineered by political choices. The rain just exposed it.”

Texas’s layered emergency management structure, split between state, county, and federal agencies, created a dangerous lag in communication.
A 2022 audit of Texas Emergency Protocols had already warned:

“Fragmented authority and politicized crisis chains are impairing real-time decision-making in catastrophic weather scenarios.”

No changes were made.

Part VII: What Happens Now

Investigations Underway

• The House Oversight Committee has launched a bipartisan investigation.
• The FEMA Inspector General is reviewing Texas’s federal grant compliance.
• Survivors and victim families are filing a class-action lawsuit against the state.

Legislative Fallout

Senator Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) introduced the "Disaster Alert Accountability Act", mandating that states receiving federal disaster aid must adopt and maintain IPAWS protocols.

Meanwhile, climate groups are demanding a full federal takeover of Texas’s flood infrastructure planning.

Part VIII: Final Toll or Ongoing Tragedy?

The death count may rise as waters recede and recovery crews access previously submerged homes. Over 8,000 people remain unaccounted for. Property damage is expected to exceed $15 billion, but the psychological cost is incalculable.

As public anger intensifies, many Texans are asking:

“How did we get hit harder than a hurricane when the storm didn’t even have a name?”

It’s a question for the politicians, planners, and yes, the voters.

Conclusion: Texas, Drenched in Denial

This wasn’t a freak storm. This wasn’t just bad luck.

It was a predictable catastrophe, worsened by bureaucratic paralysis, political vanity, and infrastructural decay. The bodies weren’t just swept away by water they were drowned by inaction.

Until the state and the nation reckons with how governance failed, this story won’t end. Because the climate is changing faster than politics, and next time, it won’t be 145. It’ll be more.

Sources:

• NWS Storm Prediction Center
• FEMA Disaster Response Logs (2025)
• CourtListener FOIA Database
• Houston Tribune Slack Leak
• MIT Climate Risk Index
• Army Corps of Engineers Texas Infrastructure Report
• Senate Emergency Management Hearing Transcript (July 18, 2025)
• Eyewitness and survivor testimony (compiled from social media and local interviews)

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