Here is how an RV park ends up in a floodway
Terrific investigative reporting by the Washington Post on the Texas tragedy
Soon after the Texas floods that killed 137 people, I wrote about the unique and poorly understood vulnerability of RV parks, campsites, and other ‘temporary uses’ that have a lower regulatory bar for floodplain safety than permanent housing. Today the Washington Post published an incredible investigative report on the HTR TX Hill Country RV Park, where 37 people (including 4 children) died after their accommodations were washed away by the flash floods.
The report has so many details that will resonate with disaster professionals: a small town eager for revenue, the downplaying of risk by real estate investors, a mysterious floodplain permit, and a lot of passing-the-buck.
I won’t say anymore, you should read it immediately. It made my heart hurt and my blood boil.
Here is a National Weather Service perspective dealing with late night flash floods like this one...https://myweathercorner.substack.com/p/the-truth-about-late-night-flash
I wrote about the negotiable aspects of FEMA floodplains
https://deerambeau.substack.com/p/the-texas-hill-country-is-my-home