U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Moline, and two other lawmakers are seeking information about the federal government’s response to the Texas floods that killed more than 130 people.
A trio of Democrats — Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Lloyd Doggett of Texas and Sorensen, who represents parts of Bloomington-Normal — sent a letter to President Trump and leadership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wanting to know if staff shortages, stalled forecasting improvements or a lack of flood preparedness may have slowed evacuation efforts following the July 4 floods along the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country.
“I do have questions as to how there was such a gap between the dire reports that they were giving out,” Sorensen said in an interview with WGLT. “And then those folks — and especially those children who died — why didn’t it make it to them?”
Deaths were especially high in Kerr County, where a century-old girls’ Christian camp on the bank of the Guadalupe River lost at least 27 campers and counselors. Kerr County officials struggled to pay for an adequate warning system. In nearby counties with warning siren systems, the death toll was much lower.
Sorensen is a former TV meteorologist and has proposed several bills pushing to maintain federal support within NOAA and the National Weather Service. He told WGLT he is working on legislation to create a board to investigate federal response to weather disasters. He said it would be similar to the board that investigates plane crashes.
“We need to do that with weather as well,” he said. “Whether that be hurricanes, or flash floods, or tornadoes, or wildfires — because those little children, they shouldn’t die in vain."
Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have forcefully pushed back against any questions related to the government's response to the storm. Earlier this year, the president signed an executive order shifting more responsibility to state and local governments in preparing for and responding to weather events and other natural disasters.
States already do that, but Trump has floated an idea to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] that provides financial support, resources and personnel states rely on.
In the joint letter, Kaptur, Doggett and Sorensen point to an escalation in flash floods events, making them the deadliest weather events in the United States.
“The science is clear: a warming world means heavier rains, more frequent flash floods and rising stakes,” the letter said. “Failure to learn from this disaster will only exacerbate future risk. Now is the moment to prioritize investments — restoring NOAA staffing and accelerating research and coordinating flood preparedness across the Federal Government.”
The three lawmakers have requested a response within 30 days.
