Editors note July 25, 2025: This article has been updated with more recent data.
Recent floods in central Texas highlight a growing trend: The U.S. experienced four 1-in-1000-year storms in one week. Severe weather led to the rising of the Guadalupe River in Texas while heavy rains hit Illinois, New Mexico and North Carolina.
“Rainfall intensities are increasing,” said Jeff Sober, water director for Garver. “We are having wetter and wetter events, whatever the cause of that, it’s happening.”
Sober emphasized that the intensity of events is rising regardless of the politics surrounding climate change. Such events have become hyper-politicized, with pointing of fingers and “gotcha” games, but one fact remains – 137 people lost their lives in Texas (2 people remain missing).
“We need to recognize that [over 100 people] have lost their life,” Sober said, “that is at the heart of this.”
What caused the flooding in central Texas?
The Texas Hill Country is part semi-arid and part coastal basin that features unique topography. The Hill County connects the edge of the coastal plains into the western desert portion of Texas. It features steep hills and river valleys with underlying limestone.
“There’s some very beautiful natural rivers that flow through this area that have long been dubbed flood alley, because of the intensity of flood events that naturally happened due to the topography,” said Sober, who lives on the Guadalupe River 48 miles downstream from where the intense flooding took place.
According to Sober, the storm system started forming on July 1 in the upper headwaters section of the Guadalupe River Basin. The river starts in the Hunt-Ingram area where most of the severe tragedies occurred from flooding.
The summer months in Central Texas typically bring fast-moving weather systems with intense rainfall to the region. The storm system was stalled by warm air from the Gulf of Mexico that pushed up into the Hill Country.
On July 3, the day before the storm struck Ingram, local weather services predicted 2-to-4-inches of rain with flooding. Sober noted that flood warnings are very common during this time of year in the area.
“It’s not uncommon to go every two weeks and have some type of flood alarm,” he said.
Later in the evening, forecasters and the weather service realized the warm air coming from the Gulf had stalled the system out — the weather front was sitting over the river basin.
The weather system struck the river basin with intense rains — up to 12-inches in some places. Another flood alert was sent out around 1:30 a.m. local time as forecasters determined that the flooding was going to be much worse than predicted.
Flood waters in the area peaked at 29.4 feet, and they rose in a matter of minutes. Sober studied the Hunt flood gauge and stated that it peaked around 4:30 a.m. July 4.
The warning system
The Hunt-Ingram area is known for its camps, with dozens of different camps sprinkled up and down the Guadalupe River. Traditional warning systems consisted of sheriffs and volunteer fire departments notifying camp directors. Siren systems used to exist up and down the river, but the advent of cell phones, internet and wi-fi, along with prolonged maintenance made the siren systems obsolete. Kerr County, where the flooding occurred, also has spotty cellular coverage. When all of this is combined with the early-hour alerts it results in disaster.
What can be done to mitigate future events
“We’re seeing these events get worse and worse over time,” Sober said. "They’re going to new levels that people have never seen before.”
One of the most common questions following these intense events is “what could have been done to prevent this?”
Until all the data is unpacked and studied, it is difficult to determine what can be done to mitigate intense flooding scenarios in the region, but Sober had a few ideas.
Floodplain mapping
Following the floods, Sober was on the ground helping with search and rescue as well as cleaning. He noted that some of the homes were over ¾ mile away from the river, far outside of the designated floodplain. One of the questions he was prompted with was “why are we building stuff in the floodplain?”
The region that experienced flooding has a rich history. The area is known for its camps that sit on the river and are a popular destination. The area also has a pride of ownership that is based on private property rights. This creates a battle of what to mandate inside of the floodplain.
One of the most notable actions the region can take, according to Sober, is updating mapping of the floodplains as well as updating the understanding of potential flood events. Local agencies will need to coordinate in order for the county to release some type of new floodplain.
Warning systems
The next step for mitigating future floods is an updated warning system.
Kerr County has poor cell phone reception making it difficult to send out warning messages. Better cell reception and new warning sirens could help warn people sooner.
“I don’t think you’re ever going to keep people away from these rivers,” Sober said. “They’re beautiful, but the floodplains are large.”
Response to the Texas floods
There has been a lot of scrutiny over the response to the floods and delayed warnings, however, as Sober highlighted, it is important to recognize the loss of life. “We’re talking about 120 people still dead and over 160 people still missing,” he said. “I’ve been volunteering all week, we’re still trying to recover people – we need to remember to pray for those families.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott toured flood damage on July 14, 2025, stating in a press release that “we as a state are going to be able to respond and recover from this. We are community. We are Texas strong.”
Governor Abbott toured Sandy Creek Bridge and the surrounding community, where he met with volunteers, residents and first responders working to remove debris and restore infrastructure. During a press conference he thanked the 25 states that sent resources and personnel to support operations.
Funding
Large storm events such as the one that occurred in Texas garner national attention, and with that, receive national support from both citizens and the government. Sober recalled the support that followed Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and more recently Hurricane Harvey in Houston. Relief poured into both communities that led to improvements in disaster response and stormwater infrastructure.
“There has been a coordinated funding effort to radically change how stormwater is managed within Houston and within New Orleans,” Sober said.
In addition to this funding mechanism, is the collection of local stormwater fees that are used to fund infrastructure. While funding may come from the government following these scenarios, stormwater fees are collected from residents who are directly impacted by these events.
President Trump approved FEMA assistance for the state on July 6, 2025, that provides federal disaster assistance to the state to supplement recovery efforts.
What the Texas floods mean for communities across the U.S.
Smaller communities spread across the U.S. that experience similar storms may not receive the same national attention that the recent storms in North Carolina and Texas received. While places like New Orleans and Houston had an outpouring of support following large storm events, smaller communities are left stranded.
“There’s not money pouring in openly to these communities,” Sober said. “There is small grants available to do certain things out there, but they are few and far between to do something on a large scale.”
This lack of stormwater funding, which stems from an overall lack of federal funding for stormwater, means that rural communities need to focus on mitigation strategies rather than the ideal infrastructure improvements.
“They have to get vigilant about the mitigation aspect,” Sober said, “about the planning aspect of looking at these scenarios, running desktop simulations, running modeling of flood events and floodplains.”
Texas support
Following the tragic events that took place in Texas, Sober sent out a company-wide email urging support to local communities and on-the-ground organizations. Donations by employees would be matched by GarverGives, a volunteer service organization that allows company employees an opportunity to give back, both monetarily and with volunteer work.
The program is not just about disaster relief, but all aspects of giving back to the community. Through the company’s employees and donation matching and grants, the company has raised over $40,000 in funds for three organizations.
About the Author
Alex Cossin
Associate Editor
Alex Cossin is the associate editor for Waterworld Magazine, Wastewater Digest and Stormwater Solutions, which compose the Endeavor Business Media Water Group. Cossin graduated from Kent State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. Cossin can be reached at [email protected].
Related
