Floods in Texas: A Warning of Things to Come?

The recent floods in Texas have left over 100 people dead and many more missing. These floods were caused by a storm that dumped a large amount of rain in a short period of time. This type of storm is becoming more common as the planet warms. Experts have warned that these floods could be a sign of things to come. They blame the high death toll on the dismantling of crucial federal agencies that help states prepare and respond to extreme weather and other hazards. The National Weather Service (NWS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) have been hit hard by cuts and layoffs. The NWS has lost over 600 staff members, leading to shortages in meteorologists and round-the-clock staffing cover. This has resulted in the cancellation of weather balloons that assess storm risk. At the same time, Fema has lost a third of its permanent full-time workforce, including some of its most experienced and knowledgeable leaders. The cuts to these agencies are part of a broader trend of dismantling federal services. The current administration has claimed that states and private enterprises are better positioned to provide these services. However, experts argue that this is not the case. They point out that it takes a lot of money, expertise, and time to eliminate risk and make sure that agencies are prepared to respond to disasters. The Texas floods occurred in a warmer, more moisture-laden atmosphere than in the past. Climate change has made conditions 7% wetter and 1. 5C hotter than they would have been otherwise. This means that every weather event we see now carries some influence from climate change. The current administration has described the Texas floods as "an act of God". However, experts argue that this is not the case. They point out that human activity has contributed to the warming of the planet, which in turn has led to more extreme weather events. In the wake of the Texas floods, there have been calls for a better system of warnings to get kids out of harm's way. However, it is unclear if the current administration will heed these calls. The lack of leadership at Fema is impossible to ignore, especially as the threat from extreme weather grows due to the human-caused climate crisis.