Internewscast Journal
  • Home
  • US News
  • Local News
  • Health
  • People
  • Guest Post
  • Support Our Cause
Internewscast Journal
  • Home
  • US News
  • Local News
  • Health
  • People
  • Guest Post
  • Support Our Cause
Home Local news Texas Tops the Nation in Flood Fatalities: How Its Geography, Large Size, and Population Contribute
  • Local news

Texas Tops the Nation in Flood Fatalities: How Its Geography, Large Size, and Population Contribute

    Texas leads nation in flood deaths due to geography, size and population
    Up next
    Trump announces sweeping tariffs on America's biggest trading partner
    Trump unveils broad tariffs targeting major U.S. trade partner
    Published on 12 July 2025
    Author
    Internewscast
    Tags
    • and,
    • Climate,
    • deaths,
    • due,
    • Environment,
    • flood,
    • geography,
    • Hatim Sharif,
    • Jeff Masters,
    • Kate Abshire,
    • leads,
    • nation,
    • population,
    • science,
    • size,
    • Texas,
    • U.S. news
    Share this @internewscast.com
    FacebookXRedditPinterest

    Even before the devastating Central Texas floods that resulted in over 100 fatalities, Texas had already been the state with the highest number of flood-related deaths in the U.S. This can be attributed partly to its geographic features that can channel rainwater into lethal surges, as revealed by a long-term study.

    Between 1959 and 2019, flooding claimed the lives of 1,069 individuals in Texas. This accounts for almost 20% of the 5,724 flood-related deaths recorded across the contiguous United States within that timeframe, based on a 2021 study published in the journal Water. This figure is approximately 370 more deaths than those reported in Louisiana, the state with the second-highest number.

    Floods rank as the second leading cause of weather-related fatalities in the nation, next to heat, both in 2024 and across the past three decades. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports an average of 145 deaths annually in the last ten years.

    Other floods have turned deadly this year: Last month in San Antonio, 13 people died including 11 people who drove into water thinking they could get through, according to study author Hatim Sharif, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio who studies why people die in floods.

    For several years Sharif has urged state and local officials to integrate better emergency action programs to use flood forecasts and save lives by alerting people and closing off vulnerable intersections where roads and water meet.

    “I think in Kerr County, if they had an integrated warning system that uses rainfall forecasts to forecast real-time impacts on the ground, that could have saved many lives and could have also helped emergency crews to know which location would be flooded, which roads would be impassable,” Sharif said. “They could have taken action.”

    The role of geography and terrain

    Texas has so many deaths because of its geography, population and size, experts say. The area where the most recent deadly floods struck is known as flash flood alley because of hills and valleys.

    “Steep, hilly terrain produces rapid runoff and quick stream rises, since the water will travel downhill at greater speed into rivers and over land,” said Kate Abshire, lead of NOAA’s flash flood services. “Rocky terrain can exacerbate the development of flash floods and raging waters, since rocks and clay soils do not allow as much water to infiltrate the ground.”

    “Urban areas are especially prone to flash floods due to the large amounts of concrete and asphalt surfaces that do not allow water to penetrate into the soil easily,” she said.

    Along with those hills, “you’ve got the Gulf of Mexico right there, the largest body of hot water in the entire North Atlantic most of the time,” said Jeff Masters a former government meteorologist who co-founded Weather Underground and now is at Yale Climate Connections. “So you’ve got a ready source of moisture for creating floods.”

    Preventable driving deaths

    Historically, many of the deaths were preventable across the nation and in Texas alike, according to experts. Masters said nothing illustrates that better than one statistic in Sharif’s study: 86% of flood deaths since 1959 were people driving or walking into floodwaters.

    Nearly 58% of the deaths were people in cars and trucks. It’s a problem especially in Texas because of hills and low lying areas that have more than 3,000 places where roads cross streams and waterways without bridges or culverts, Sharif said.

    “People in Texas, they like trucks and SUVs, especially trucks,” Sharif said. “They think trucks are tough, and that is I think a factor. So sometimes they use their big car or SUV or truck, and they say they can beat the flood on the street … especially at night. They underestimate the depth and velocity of water.”

    Abshire said that not only do people ignore the weather service’s safety mantra, “Turn around, don’t drown,” but studies found that a number of these fatalities occur when people actively drive around barricades and barriers blocking flooded roads.

    The latest Texas Hill Country flooding was less typical because so many of the deaths were in a camp where the water overtook the victims, not people going into the water, Sharif said. Only about 8% of flood deaths in the last 60 years happened in permanent homes, mobile homes or camping, according to the study.

    The July 4th floods happened at night, a common time for flood deaths. More than half of deaths since 1959 have occurred at night, when it’s dark and people can’t see how much flooding there is or are not awake for the warnings, Sharif’s study found.

    As far as demographics, about 62% of U.S. flood deaths were male, according to the study.

    “Risk-taking behavior is usually associated with men,” Sharif said, adding that it’s why most fatal victims of car crashes are male.

    ___

    The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    Share this @internewscast.com
    FacebookXRedditPinterest
    You May Also Like
    Russian strikes batter Ukraine as Zelenskyy accuses Putin of stalling peace talks
    • Local news

    Ukraine hit by Russian attacks as Zelenskyy blames Putin for delaying peace discussions

    Russia executed another significant overnight assault on Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy…
    • Internewscast
    • August 30, 2025
    Appeals Court Says Trump's Tariff Push Overstepped His Powers
    • Local news

    Appeals Court Rules Trump Exceeded Authority with Tariff Implementation

    IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site…
    • Internewscast
    • August 30, 2025
    Woman arrested in connection with 3 'emaciated' dogs abandoned behind Lutz gas station
    • Local news

    Woman Detained for Abandoning 3 Malnourished Dogs Behind Lutz Gas Station

    A Tampa, Florida, woman has been detained in relation to a tragic…
    • Internewscast
    • August 31, 2025

    WATCH: Initial Vol Walk of the 2025 Football Season

    In Knoxville, Tennessee, the kickoff for the 2025 football season begins on…
    • Internewscast
    • August 30, 2025
    India looks to mend ties with China as Trump's tariffs push it away from U.S.
    • Local news

    India seeks to improve relations with China as Trump’s tariffs strain its ties with the U.S.

    As a crucial security ally in Asia and a strategic counterbalance to…
    • Internewscast
    • August 31, 2025
    PHOTOS: Driver crashes onto New Port Richey home; family says it's the third time in 16 years
    • Local news

    PHOTOS: Car Plows into New Port Richey Home; Residents Claim It’s Happened Thrice in 16 Years

    NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — A couple from Pasco County is expressing…
    • Internewscast
    • August 31, 2025
    Montana man who evaded authorities for a week after bar shooting faces four counts of murder
    • Local news

    Montana Fugitive Arrested Following Week-Long Manhunt; Charged with Four Murder Counts After Bar Shooting

    BILLINGS, Mont. – A man believed to have killed four people at…
    • Internewscast
    • August 30, 2025
    Department of Transportation pulls $679M in funds from offshore wind projects
    • Local news

    Transportation Department Withdraws $679 Million from Offshore Wind Initiatives

    The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Friday that it will be…
    • Internewscast
    • August 30, 2025
    Carver Village gymnasium plans closer to reality, awaits city approval
    • Local news

    Carver Village Gym Closer to Becoming a Reality, Pending City Approval

    For many years, the Historic Carver Village community in Savannah, Ga., has…
    • Internewscast
    • August 30, 2025
    Lower travel costs boost Labor Day weekend road trips
    • Local news

    Reduced Travel Expenses Increase Labor Day Weekend Road Trips

    AUGUSTA, Ga () – Labor Day is the weekend many people take…
    • Internewscast
    • August 30, 2025

    “Tennessee Triumphs in Orange Clash: Vols Defeat Syracuse”

    ATLANTA, Ga. (WATE) — The Vols stay perfect in their program record…
    • Internewscast
    • August 30, 2025
    ‘A guardian angel beside me:’ Teens killed in fiery Oviedo crash remembered
    • Local news

    ‘Honoring the Spirits: Remembering Teens Lost in Tragic Oviedo Crash’

    It is a tragedy that broke the hearts of many in Oviedo…
    • Internewscast
    • August 31, 2025
    Tottenham Hotspur Reveals The One Flaw Holding The Club Back
    • Business

    Tottenham Hotspur Unveils the Key Issue Hindering the Club’s Progress

    LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 30: Micky van de Ven of Tottenham Hotspur…
    • Internewscast
    • August 31, 2025
    Millions warned to stay out of the water over Labor Day weekend
    • News

    Millions advised to avoid water during Labor Day weekend

    Millions of Americans have been told to stay out of the ocean…
    • Internewscast
    • August 31, 2025
    I'm a colon cancer doctor - and these are six hard truths everyone under 50 needs to know: 'They might save your life'
    • Health

    I’m a Colon Cancer Doctor: Six Critical Facts About Colon Cancer for Those Under 50 That Could Save Your Life

    A prominent cancer surgeon has disclosed advice for individuals concerned about bowel…
    • Internewscast
    • August 31, 2025
    Stabbed Woolworths worker 'no longer feels safe' in Melbourne
    • Crime

    Injured Woolworths Employee ‘Feels Unsafe’ Now in Melbourne

    A Woolworths worker who was stabbed while riding his e-scooter home says…
    • Internewscast
    • August 31, 2025
    Internewscast Journal
    • Home
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Guest Post
    • Support Our Cause
    Copyright 2023. All Right Reserverd.