By Matija Šerić
The United States is frequently struck by severe weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, droughts, and extreme winter storms, causing massive destruction and endangering millions of lives. While the U.S. has historically dealt with natural disasters since its founding, the problem today is that these events have become significantly more frequent and intense since the late 20th century — a direct consequence of climate change.
In January this year, California was ravaged by devastating wildfires, and this month Texas experienced unprecedented flooding, the full extent of which is still unknown. Every apocalyptic storm reveals many shortcomings of America as a nation. The inability to mitigate damage and the inadequate response after disasters represent a political and social embarrassment for the U.S., a country that claims the status of a leading global superpower.
The Texan Apocalypse
From July 4th to 7th, parts of Texas went through apocalyptic moments. Massive flooding was caused by a powerful vortex storm that, fueled by tropical moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry, brought heavy rainfall and extreme conditions. The water level of the Guadalupe River rose sharply in a very short period. Within just 45 minutes, the river surged to nearly 8 meters. At Hunt, water levels reached 8.8 meters. In just a few hours, the amount of rain that normally falls over four months inundated central and southern Texas. One location recorded a staggering 516 millimeters of rainfall per square meter.
The storm surge, resembling a tsunami, brought horrific devastation. The catastrophic floods in central Texas—especially in Kerr County—killed at least 129 people, with over 170 reported missing and presumed dead. Particularly heartbreaking was the death toll at a Christian summer camp, Mystic Camp for Girls, where more than 20 children and staff lost their lives (27 victims in total), and six remain missing. Dramatic images of destroyed camps and flooded homes spread worldwide, becoming a symbol of humanity’s helplessness against the power of nature. Floods caused by monsoon-like rains also hit New Mexico and North Carolina, destroying homes, roads, trees, bridges, and water systems, leaving thousands of Americans without basic infrastructure and access to clean drinking water.
Timeline: Catastrophic flooding in Texas
Hurricanes Devastate the U.S. East Coast
When apocalyptic floods come to mind, most people immediately think of hurricanes that have struck the U.S. East Coast: Katrina (2005), Sandy (2012), and Harvey (2017). Last year, Hurricane Helena added an unexpected chapter to the story of superstorms. Originating from the Yucatán Peninsula and the eastern U.S. coast, Helena veered inland, causing significantly more damage than on the coastal areas. Western North Carolina was hit particularly hard. Part of the reason was that the state was neither prepared nor accustomed to the scale of flooding hurricanes can bring. Damage was so severe that numerous towns and villages remained isolated for days, while streets turned into raging rivers that swept away everything in their path.
Floods — America’s Greatest Enemy
The floods in Texas demonstrate that flooding has become the primary natural threat to the U.S., even though for a long time wildfires were seen as the biggest danger. Increasingly disturbing images of floods in the country’s interior—where entire towns and villages are submerged, streets transform into rivers, and everything caught in the water becomes floating debris—have captured public attention. In 2024 alone, five hurricanes caused over a billion dollars in damages, alongside a wildfire, two winter storms, and one drought. Floods have emerged as the most expensive natural disasters in the U.S. in recent years, inflicting billions in damages and long-lasting consequences for local communities left devastated long after the waters recede.
The Texas Disaster Exposes American Weaknesses
The Texas catastrophe is one of the deadliest disasters the U.S. has faced in the 21st century. The floods in Texas were the deadliest inland floods in the United States since the Great Thompson River Flood of 1976, surpassing damages caused by the floods following Hurricane Helena in 2024. Given the extreme and unfavorable circumstances, there was little that could have been done on the ground to prevent the disaster. What is clear, however, is that the U.S. is unprepared for weather extremes that are at least partially driven by climate change. Political responsibility is undeniably at stake.
