NEW: Over the years, Texas legislators have declined to pass at least three bills that would create siren or alert systems, a tool that Kerr County officials tried to secure for years before the July 4 flooding. By Lexi Churchill & @lomikriel.bsky.social, w/ @texastribune.org
Blame the Kerr County people who refused money from Biden to fix things
This should be the msg for every Texan. YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!
Texas is ruled by trash.
RED STATE
Also the trash who vote for trash
“ Maybe if they had bells or something “ our idiot leader said
Too obsessed with bathroom patrol and promoting their scandal-soaked AG to the Senate—just so he can play rubber-stamp for the GOP’s latest assaults on democracy.
They prioritized passing a law to require The Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. No lives were saved as a result of this mandate.
Texas could have had Beto and fixed all of this $hit. Instead they voted for stupid, and got stupid on steroids.
Texas is a highly gerrymandered and voting suppressed state. Don’t lose sight of that.
I know. But it still takes a majority. So how do you fix the stupid? I wish I had an answer.
But they got their school vouchers and the Ten Commandments in public classrooms. Priorities. 🙄
“Thoughts and Prayers” don’t save lives when the river’s a rising. The blame belongs to the Texas legislature along with those who kept voting them in when they knew an alert system would eventually save lives.
From the Times: Texas has a growing backlog of flood management projects, totaling some $54 billion, but state lawmakers have allocated only a fraction of the funds needed while cutting property taxes by $51 billion this year.
Why do these Texas constituents keep voting for these horrible, greedy politicians?!! Why are they so clueless?
You think the constituents are any better?
I think the constituents are uninformed, just not paying attention, or have been propagandized.
No, sorry to say, no. Politicians are good at one thing only, reading the room. If they push racism it's because they KNOW a good portion of the population thinks that way. What you call propaganda... I call reinforcement of something they already believe
Maybe when they no longer get their Medicaid or snap benefits they’ll forget how racist they are.
They were too busy whingeing on about trans folks, books they want banned, CRT, abortion and migrants, and spent too much giving wealthy folks a big tax bonus to keep kids in expensive private schools to be concerned about flood control and fixing the ancient power grid. Fork them all.
This happens when greedy, stupid fucks run shit.
📌
Who needs alarms when you can just jet off to Cancun or Greece. Right Ted?
There was a lot of pressure from constituents about it "costing too much."
I can’t believe Biden did this
This is exactly why citizens should be able to sue lawmakers for bad decisions. Personally and professionally. There is zero accountability baked into civic and civil leadership. Protections for constituents are evaporating daily.
Kerr County refused to accept funds offered by Biden.
They declined “woke” money but they’ll make sure to attend Sunday services and offer up prayers.
They accepted and applied elsewhere.
To the sheriffs new radios or something
I heard they used it for police salaries & to put in a walking path
A swimming path. .
Accurate 😣
All they offer is “thoughts and prayers.”
We instinctively knew
Also, San Antonio is closer to Camp Mystic, 60 miles, yet they are blaming the fire chief from Austin, which is 100 miles away.
As a Texan I can you with absolute certainty. The only thing Texas lawmakers care about is increasing the value of their for profit prison stock.
And guns…I’m in TX too, & their love for guns is sacrosanct.
Common sense. Texas lacks this.
This would be something better fur their legislature to meet about than rigging their voting system.
Texas built a summer camp for kids in a known flood zone. Yeah an alert system would have been absolutely necessary given that level of stupid.
summer camp *for girls*. a conservative Christian bible camp where girls learned how to be *good girls* and no cell phones were allowed - no access to the outside. just awful.
And they still they reelect them. SMH.
Tx govt sucks
Blood on your hands Texas. Shame on you.
Tx kills it's citizens daily
Not surprise one bit. I don't know what's happening down South but it's not looking good. Too much sun on the head? The Stetson don't do the job no more? Ha! Wait? They've been swapped for MAGA hat.
This is exactly why MAGA/ republicans hate science www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0BG...
The stupidity of these religious nuts is astounding. I always wished that COVID was more virulent and the vaccine was more effective. That would have sorted this shit out properly. Maybe next time.
Why did they do that? did they claim God controls the weather so its up to him to give the alarm?
Kerr County held a town hall where the residents all told their officials they didn't want any of Biden's money that was going to help them update their alert systems. Said they couldn't trust money that came from a democrat, as sad as this tragedy was it's on them to some degree.
It is all on them
🧐
Huh, why?
As a 30 year resident of Texas, I can confirm that the TX state govt does not care about the lives of Texans. At all.
Texas GOP tends to be reactive rather than proactive. Also, with a media circus in tow.
Ever since the (mostly) unwarranted, short-sighted, anti-tax phobia of the Proposition 13 insanity in California in the late 1970s, Republicans have victimized voters into a dishonest Catch 22. A system of public services CANNOT operate without appropriate funding, but Republicans pretend otherwise.
But there is always time to disenfranchise Democratic voters through bizarro gerrymandering.
They from Texas
Dear MAGA. Don't even try and blame the Democrats. Republicans are the only game in town in Kerr County. Could not be more red. As usual, they prove they don't care about their voters.
Seems like the alert system would have been a good use of some of the $$ in the massive "rainy day fund" TX has been hoarding.
Blood on all their hands. I just heard a few of the Summer Camps were being reset up. Sacralege with many of the Missing not located yet. Unforgiveable...
Anybody who establishes a camp in that area should be reminded about the definition of Negligent Homicide.
I don’t enjoy saying this but do you think they care?
No. This is "gods will" territory. They take absoutley no peronal responsibity for diasasters where human intervention could have assistted. They blame god.
What do the people of Texas say about this? I would love a deep dive into the entire state about this - from the people's view
Before the R’s took over and turned fascist, Ann Richards was Governor. And yes it was better! I generally block the”both-sides” bots. Anyone or anything who thinks that Democrats aren’t better than Republicans is stupidity, evil, or both.
Of course they did
And they are set to do it again aren't they?
They all should be sued in to oblivion
Yes, that’s Texas where corporations rule!
That figures!
May the blood on their hands never wash off.
Idiots voting for corrupt bigger idiots
I knew this about 2 or 3 days after the initial flooding
Is anyone shocked by this? Anyone? The GOP is a DEATH CULT. If more people are going to die, it is a GOP-favored law or policy.
Why would Texans vote or approve redistricting that allows more republican representation? Republican legislators have determined their constituents are STUPID. Republicans haven't protected or tried to mitigate the impact of flooding by passing legislation. They have elected 2 save money not LIVES.
Hey, those systems cost money, and Texas millionaires and billionaires need their tax cuts so they can buy a second yacht!
When you vote red, you could end up dead.
More of them there Texas smarts.
I just can't fathom how summer camps with over 1,000 children most of them Christian camps could even be allowed to operate without warning sirens. Texas what were you thinking risking the lives of so many for MONEY!
It was God's will.
i live in semi rural area of ny state (blue state) 80 miles north of nyc & there are quite a few day & sleepaway camps in the area. county health departments have camp inspectors & a couple of camps have been shut down due to health and/or safety violations. but that’s 4 commies, i guess. 🤷🏻♀️
Especially in a well documented flood zone. My parents live on an old riverbed. We watch the river very carefully come spring thaw. I heard *rumor* that the camp owner wrangled a deal to have the camp be declared "safe" from that designation for insurance records????
I'm not surprised, in Texas everything is bigger they say, so is the ignorance coming out of their capital!
They rejected federal money because it would have came from Biden. Their hate killed their children.
they didn't reject it, over the objections of a few outspoken members of Kerr county citizenry. they kept it so it wouldn't go back to blue states and then they spent it on other things. www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...
"If you vote to keep Biden's money, I will hold you personally responsible and personally liable for any and all harm that comes to me and my family, as well as the residents of this county" Exactly why Dems. should stop trying to help rural people. There is nothing we can do to appease their hate.
Exactly what I just said. But even worse, they couldn’t send the money back so they gave themselves raises with it instead.
Patriots! Lol!
What's the plan for the next flood? There will be one.
Praying, apparently…
Might also have to do with the retarded MAGA locals who didn't want to "take Biden's commie money".
Saw clips of the locals telling the county board to refuse the Biden "commie money". Hard to feel sorry for these MAGA genius's. I do feel sorry for all the families that lost loved ones and hope the naysayers are proud of themselves, they are responsible for a lot of the deaths.
No surprise there
Texas legislators have plenty of time to make it easier to murder people though
How many rich white people have to die before Texas takes this seriously?
It needs to be rich white men next time. They didn’t care because it was girls.
So Republicans tally the dead, give shrugs of indifference, which they call thoughts and prayers. Though they behave as unchristian, as the devil that created them. They can back pat themselves, counting the dead. They elected a total racist idiot to control their protection. "NOT GREAT AGAIN"!
Not only the lawmakers. Biden offered them $10million to pay for an alarm system . The neighbourhood rednecks decided they “ din’t want no money from that communist” and lobbied their local council to reject the grant. And then …
Is anyone surprised? Texas is a shithole maga State
Oh they will "shake it off" like they always do, the bastards. Donaldo delenda est
Kerr County took money from the Biden Administration for an upgrade of the siren system, but spent it on other things…like more pay for sheriff deputies.
What are we doing? Why are we letting our personal biases get in the middle of logical safe choices??!! Who is the person that makes the decision about safety? That person(s) needs to be held accountable. This is insane that a paid public safety official signed on to this.
They like the story of protecting the unborn, but once a child is born, it’s survival of the fittest. Nice state. As bad a Florida with its new prison.
Of course they did… They couldn’t give the slightest crap
And that is what you get when you have no foresight......
Eh, they passed on federal money and gave to the cops. They didn’t try very hard…
Kerr County refused $10,200,000 from the Biden administration to install an early warning system. Can't trust Democrats. Look for the $10.2M figure... www.texastribune.org/2025/07/10/t...
Fiscal conservatism didn’t stop it, stupidity did.
Yup. Especially since federal funds were made available.
It's worse than that. They took the money and still didn't install it. The County Govt should be sued for negligent homicide.q
I read a report they built the sheriff a new office.
That's because Republicans are Dogshit pedophiles.
Yes Texas conservatives offer only tears and prayers after catastrophic failure in addressing the ‘alley of flash floods ‘ . Conservatives never learn . Very foolish men and women! Rather save a penny than save a life!
@jamestalarico.bsky.social highlighted this today in his interview with Joe Rogan.
Yeah, but MAGAts keep voting 4 these degenerates. MAGAts Typical MAGAts vote against thr own interests.
1.Beto wld've been heads above that lying slime Cruz, and swamp rats Abbott, Paxton. MAGAts don't like honorable, patriotic, caring Reps w/integrity who will work to make thr lives better. They prefer dshnst no morals, lawless, corrupt scums who love pwr, are greedy and who will pass bills
2.that benefits thr greedy donors and hurt thm. They know the folks'll vote 4 thm No matter that they do nothing 4 thm. Look how they rejected Medicaid expansion, now wr learning that they rejected grants that wld've improved the warning system. What if tornado affected States had refused to have
3.tornado warning systems in place?Can u imagine the carnage. MAGAt politicians hate Govt so they'll stupidly put ppl's lives at risk. Hope those families can sue the Abbott Admin 4 dereliction of duties. Tx voters the ball is in ur court. Kp voting 4 scums and u'll keep losing ur fam members
Thanks
Abbott refused federal funding for the same thing in 2017 and 2021.
Well who needs that when they have Jesus? Right?
Hopefully the voters hold these people accountable. If not you can’t help stupid
And they keep voting for the same people
Damn you Joebarak Obamabiden!
Perhaps not permitting camps be built in the path of raging floods would have been simpler
Oh, but that would have been job-killing regulation and government over-reach. *spit*
So why not choose the high ground that was just minutes away ?
Humans are absolute shite at risk assessment when what they want is at stake.
No shortage of self-serving Texas legislators who don’t —or won’t — spend a red cent on ANYTHING that doesn’t immediately benefit themselves, their friends or their donors. Zero ability to see “the forest for the trees.” And the voters of Texas apparently can’t see the forest either. Why is that?
Why am I not surprised? TheTexasLegislature only meets every other year, on even years,except if the Governor calls4 an emergency session.They are meeting today in an emergency session not2deal with theTexas floods but2Gerrymander5Congressional Districts2get rid of4Black Democrats&1LatinoDemocrat.
Of course they did. These idiots will vote for Republicans no matter how badly they're treated. It wouldn't make financial sense for Republicans to help them at all.
Vote for pro-democracy and it'll get done.
These were children, not embryos.
Biden gave Kerr County 10 million dollars. They could have created the siren system. Instead, they hated Biden for giving them the money. And then, the local officials, such as the sheriff department, wasted it on enriching themselves. Literally used it to line their own pockets with “raises”
Ah yes typical behavior shooting themselves in the foot cause of distaste for Democrats .. just a smokescreen for pinching the money for an unnecessary scheme and then keeping the money . They do get voted back in almost always . Cannot explain that
This article seems to point to pressure from taxpayers reeling against more taxes as the large cause for not having warning sirens. I know where they could find some money. www.prnewswire.com/news-release...
This is what ideology and indoctrination looks like. More emphasis put on what a teacher might be teaching in a classroom, or what your neighbors might be eating for dinner, than putting systems in place that protect people from natural catastrophes. Rugged individualism still applies in Texas.
Mark my words. Kerr County will vote for Abbott and their GOP reps again, just like Uvalde County did.
That’s crazy
A state surplus, but won't spend to protect citizens.
Some people probably would have gotten some benefit from tax payer dollars, so yeah, no go.
It's Trump's fault! No flood warnings here in New York last week either.
Texas lawmakers have killed Texans because they don’t really give a shite. More than 20 children died at Camp Mystic because those elected didn’t give a fuck.
the “family values” state!
Death and cruelty is the mission of the misled MAGAT morons by cankles the orange felon in the WH.
"Small government"
In 2021 the Biden Harris administration gave Kirk county Texas $10 million a grant which they politely instructed should be for infrastructure and the siren system for flood warning system. Some of their residents called Biden communist they weren’t going to take the money then they took it. They
spent it on raises, walking pads, and whatever else they spend it on, but they did not invest in a flood warning system. We have tornado sirens here, the first time I’ve lived in a place with tornado sirens. They go off at the exact same time, there is a tornado warning in the area.
I was just looking up a link I didn’t did not edit, it’s Kerr not Kirk, i’m sorry!
www.yahoo.com/news/context...
That should be a crime.
Exactly think of what that $10 million could’ve done and they just wasted it.
There’s no purpose to grants/federal funding if it’s not used correctly. I don’t hear about this problem elsewhere. I often look up how these funds are being spent in my community.
The right-wing cult doesn't care about anyone but themselves. The entire Conservative moto is "I got mine, you get yours".
Let's be very clear on this... Texas Republican legislators... 🤨
Donald Trump thinks people should have something they can put in their pocket that will vibrate if there is dangerous weather in the area. THEY'RE CALLED PHONES!!!!!!!! What a moron. He says they should be made in America. We don't eve make phones in America JFC.
Texas literally drowning from its bad decisions.
bsky.app/profile/lalo...
Can't bring those children and adults back in the loss, but their families should sue the shit out of the State for negligence.
I would be suing up, down and sideways and making it my personal mission to get every person out of office who played a part in the decision. This never should have happened. My heart breaks for all the lives lost, especially the parents looking for their girls ...
and yet IDIOTS keep voting for GOP SCUM completely fucking their own best interest!!
Texas is its own worst enemy. With friends like these, who needs enemas?
Of course!
Life is too expensive
Reactive, instead of proactive 🥹
They were too busy trying to regulate women’s bodies.
Wheel Abbott is a true ASSHOLE.
Many texans voted for their own death, or their love ones, many will continue to vote the same.
Texas has a $24B budget surplus in the current two year cycle. $32B the cycle before that one. The money for this has always been there. The incompetent fuckwits in Austin chose not to spend it. www.texastribune.org/2025/06/30/t....
They were likely too busy worrying about how to track down women who left the state to get medical services illegal in Texas.
My understanding is that The Biden administration offered Texas quite a bit of money to upgrade those alert systems and Wheels Abbott said NO!!
That would be REPUBLICAN legislators.
Blood and death on their hands and consciences. May the same happen to them.
MAGAts gonna MAGAt. Not a MAGAt in Texas? Leave! MAGAt in that shithole of stupidity…you get the day you voted for!
They really owned the Dems this time. Divided states of America.
Let's cut to the chase here and quit sugar coating it these people voted for these leaders. Because if they did not then the system is rigged for the last four 100 years forget about the last fuckin 20 years.
Republicans don't care about other people.
Blood on their hands!
As an alien I never get the hang of this. Didn't Texas choose against orderliness and for less and cheaper government? Is there a method to have it both ways?
Elect responsible people, not those who endanger v protect and help.
That's because they're rich and they keep getting richer as long as they support the fucking felon and don't give a damn about us people have to need to realize and understand and quit giving them empathy they have none! Their souls are black!
Texas gop is way to busy fleecing the great people of Texas. They laugh when people die because of their unwillingness to do what's right an just !!
Texas lawmakers and fema are to blame for these deaths as certainly as if they drowned them themselves.
All those Republican Texas lawmakers need to be voted out. We got an eye on the problem with Jasmine and some others watching out for the people of Texas.
Do we know where Kerr County emergency management was at 4:22 am when a first responders requested a code red alert?
But they did put razor wire in the river.
Another GOP pro-death policy.
Texas lawmakers are too busy (meeting only once every 2 years) spending money on more prisons and walls. They could give a crap about spending money on smart things that would save lives.
They didn’t care then and they don’t care now. So much greatness in Texas 🤮😡
This is the story I've been waiting for. Thank you for putting it together.
Texas legislators? Call them what they are: Republicans
Texas Democrats, this is a free shot for the next 10 elections!
Texas should be allowed to secede and become the third world country it deserves to be.
Gay socialist uprising in Texas
Not only deserves to be seems to want to be also.
Republicans don’t spend money on anything that helps people. All they spend money on is cops, jails, and weapons. They’re vile evil bastards
Don’t forget about the money spent on their constant misinformation campaigns, gerrymandering and removing rights for as many individuals as possible.
Speaking of Gerrymandering. Cough *Texas* Cough
Yeah… but they turned down money from Biden admin.. Texans can take care of Texans, they screamed! How’d that work out? Fools!
So the story on that is that in 2021, Sen John Cronyn told his old law partner, the Kerr County Judge to take the money otherwise it would go to Blue states. So they took the 8 million and spent it on general stuff like police salaries instead of a warning system
Like school shootings… they’ll ignore this chance as well 🙄🙄
But they had enough funds to send loads of migrant by chartered jet to other states as a sick stunt.
* Nothing will happen until Abbott or Cruz or someone like them loses a loved one. *
Texas should be abolished
Disgusting
Don’t forget Texas is about corporations not people.
They will just keep blaming Biden, Obama or DEI.
They spent federal funds from the Biden admin on prison construction instead.
Payback time for Uvalde. Never underestimate KARMA
There is Blame everywhere in this story. “It’s a mystery to me why they weren’t taking proactive steps to move structures away from the risk, let alone challenging what seems like a very reasonable map that shows these structures were in the 100-year flood zone,” she said apnews.com/article/texa...
Oh Bullshit, And I am not even a Blue MAGA either. bsky.app/profile/dyst...
Abbott should be on this but instead he's more concerned about winning elections by gerrymandering.
Republicans want to tell democrats they’re wrong. They can’t keep kids at a camp safe.
💙💙💙shameful WHY
I feel bad for intelligent blue Texans suffering the repeated stupidity of MAGA Texans.
Tolerating magats existing will get you and family killed. The dirty red cultists will take us all down with them to please their billionaire masters. WWII all Nazis.
This is because any public investment in cities and towns will lead to socialism, at least that is what the trustees believe.
Senseless tragedy.
and yet…
I'm shocked
They're getting what they voted for. It's nature taking it's course
Not surprised!!
But they keep voting these same nasty people in again and again!
What we’ve all been saying since July 4. But then, those of who said it were accused of politicizing. I actually wanted to learn what went wrong because I live in an area prone to flash floods. Since then, my area had dangerous flash flooding and I was more prepared, and grateful my state cares.
Their top priority is gerrymandering the representation away from black and brown voters.
Texas, get organized! go.bsky.app/VcoYkZK
The name is Tex-ass
😢
Texas voters elect very prolife Republican legislators hell bent on policing vaginas, and on accelerating and worsening the soaring consequences of global warming.
They did secure the money they just didn't use it on that
Wondering if they will get a warning system even now after all these unnecessary deaths.
Trump and Abbott neglect citizens
Under rethuglickens Texas sucks.
Oops. Auto correct messed up the spelling It's Texass .
What about a dam?
Who do Texas legislators represent?
Their grand daddy trump
Texas legislators have always been self-centered and selfish fucks. If it’s good for the people, they’ll make extra sure it doesn’t happen. They have much bigger problems like what color people are and if they speak english. Good political Christian’s that they are, they’re definitely going to Hell.
Abbott and the Republican politicians failure just like the UVALDE deaths of so many children.
Impeach Abbott. Costello ok.
Oh well they better keep electing Republicans no matter what. These people cannot be redeemed.
Hey Texans, elect other Texas Legislators...
abbott took that money and spent it flying migrants to blue cities. 150million.
Saving lives is SO "woke." Remember, it's the "sanctity of life" party.
Is anyone surprised anymore? They have become a government of the greedy for their interests instead of a government by and for the people. It's time to party like it's 1789 France. #NoKings
OH, and they will CONTINUE to block future efforts to put in a flood alarm there and anywhere along that river because of the ........costs! Money over lives!
They have to go. Clean house!!
Is Texas “legislators” entirely accurate? Would Texas “Republican legislators” be more like it?
Oh Stop, Ds' and Rs' operate as a Tag Team against the Working Class. They are both Ruling Class institutions acting like opponents in a Harlem Globetrotters Game and the Ds' are the Washington Generals. Oh we almost Beat them this time! #Liberals
You stop. One party is inflicting economic pain on the middle class and the poor, while actively destroying our constitutional government. Can you drop the both sides cliche long enough to guess which one it is?
No you are just a.....
Well, if we’re just calling names, OK. You’re a useless troll.
No you simply don't have any Information or Arguments so you do what simple minded folks do, you attack the Source when you don't even have one and there are thousands out there, you are intellectually lazy and morally repugnant.
Your “argument” is built on name calling and insults. If you ever run out of names to call someone else, you’ll have nothing left to say.
Not in Texas. We’ve been stuck with Republican “leadership” for over two and a half decades. This is the result. Oh, and…
Well if you hadn’t spent $13 billion on illegals…..
Well see, one of the Tag Teams in Texas has more Wrestling Talent than the other, they are still both Right Wing Corporate Parties. You have had Ds' in Power in Texas before the 1990s and did things get fundamentally better from that time on? No. #CorporateDuopoly
