Unregulated Development at Core of Texas Flood Tragedy, Experts Warn

As Texas lawmakers hold hearings on flood preparedness in the wake of the deadly July 4th weekend storms, disaster experts say the Legislature is ignoring a key driver of the destruction: unchecked development in high-risk flood zones. While legislators focus on warning systems and emergency alerts, critics argue the state’s regulatory gaps in land use and floodplain development have left millions vulnerable, especially those living in rural and unincorporated areas.

The flash floods, which left more than 130 people dead statewide, devastated parts of Central Texas, particularly Travis, Williamson, and Burnet counties. Many victims lived in mobile homes or RVs situated in floodways or 100-year floodplains, zones the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) identifies as high-risk. In Georgetown, for instance, two riverside RV parks were wiped out, while in Marble Falls, floodwaters from Hamilton Creek hurled mobile homes through the Cedar Stays RV Park, killing one and forcing helicopter rescues.

Despite clear FEMA designations, mobile homes and temporary housing remain common in these flood-prone areas due to lax regulation and lower land costs. Experts like Andrew Rumbach of the Urban Institute say this points to a deeper systemic issue: Texas counties often lack zoning authority and the ability to enforce building standards. 

“Governments have not only the authority, but also the obligation to take people’s safety into account,” Rumbach said, as first reported by the Austin American-Statesman. 

Counties currently have limited power to prevent unsafe development or to fund flood mitigation projects in unincorporated areas. The 2024 State Flood Plan notes that 17% of Texans, over 5 million people, live or work in flood hazard zones, with many outside city boundaries. Regional flood planning groups have asked the Legislature to allow counties to collect drainage fees and implement stronger design standards, but most proposals have stalled. Travis County Judge Andy Brown is now calling on the Legislature to give counties the authority to tailor floodplain development policies to local needs.

“We will continue to destroy houses and potentially kill people in the floodplain until we get more serious about it,” Blackburn warned.