Trying in Vain to Make Sense Out of Tragedy

The Texas Floods have left so many of us feeling numb and helpless

Photo: NBC 5 Dallas

My original plan today was a new pizza review, but with the fresh horrors adding up relating to the Central Texas floods, I believe that a few words on that topic are far more appropriate.

I want to first state my deepest sympathies for everyone impacted, especially those who have been lost (and their loved ones left behind). I can’t imagine the unfathomable grief and heartbreak these families must be dealing with right now. This situation is tragic, cruel, and terribly unfair, and has left many of us trying in vain to make sense of it.

Photo: Julio Cortez, AP

Additionally, I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been working so hard to save lives. The bravery and grit of emergency personnel has been inspiring to watch, and they have my sincere admiration. They’re the reason the already unthinkable death tolls aren’t higher.

Photo: Julio Cortez, AP

But I’m not going start pointing fingers of blame. My pretty unshakable faith in basic human decency has been challenged by some of the garbage I’ve seen on social media the last couple of days. I’ve had to do a few double takes to even process the worst of it. While this tragedy has brought out the best in so many, it has also given a cruel forum for tasteless, factually incorrect, and horrifying takes.

This has come from all directions: (1) many supposedly “caring” Blue State Liberals assuring me that Texas (and presumably those little girls at Camp Mystic) got what they deserved for our state voting for Trump 56%-42% in 2024; (2) 89 IQ MAGA taintbags arguing this was a fake, engineered event or, like Trump, inexplicably blaming Democrats; (3) those attacking the National Weather Service (who did a fantastic job all things considered); or (4) using the NWS as a political prop to lambast objectively dumb budget cuts while framing this particular event as a failure by the NWS, which it objectively does not appear to be.

I don’t need to explain why all of those things are deeply unhelpful right now. There will be a thorough accounting of what infrastructure issues and human errors may have been present and, hopefully, there will be common sense policy changes to try to reduce the terrible human and propery tolls of Texas floods in the future.

But we also need to grapple with the fact that this tragedy and the incredible rainfall amounts that caused it were not totally unprecedented and the impacted area has long been at risk for this type of event, even if rare. It’s that feeling of helplessness that will be one of the hardest things to process going forward: we can make improvements (including to local warning systems) and increase spending to try and solve the flooding problem, but it might never be enough. Texas floods are inevitable.

The Texas Tribune has a good list of some reputable organizations/businesses that can get your donations to the right places or help you if you need it, chief amongst them The Kerr County Flood Relief Fund. Here’s another one from KUT with some additional options (click hyperlink). Please help as you are able.