Not Accepting Federal Funding to Prevent Appearing as Being Bought by the Feds
Federal Funding and Politics, and Safety? When does the latter out-weigh the former?
A Texas county devastated by deadly flooding earlier this month had rejected federal funds in 2021. Funds that could have helped install a flood warning system. However, local officials and residents were arguing they didn’t want to be “bought” by the Biden administration.
As far back as 2016, officials considered a $1 million siren and gauge system to warn both locals and the flood-prone region’s many visitors, the Texas Tribune reported. But despite multiple meetings and FEMA grant applications, funding efforts repeatedly stalled, First due to missing mitigation plans and then due to shifting priorities after Hurricane Harvey.
“Comfort,” in Kendall County, experienced the same catastrophe but reported no casualties, whereas the same event killed at least 96 people nearby Kerr County. The assistant chief of the Comfort Volunteer Fire Department, Danny Morales, said to NBC News,
“People knew that if they heard the siren, they gotta get out.”
“Hundreds Died in Texas Floods—But in One Community,” a Smart Move Saved Every Life
well its Texas home of the go it alone. unless its a Tornado, took a long time to understand for us to learn that mother nature cant be extremely violent, and its best to ignore when its in a bad mood . think we are still learning that hurricanes are as bad, along with earthquakes. though the later so far hasnt done a lot of damage. yet