Texas kids’ camps must remove cabins from floodplains, operate warning systems under new laws
The parents of children who died at Camp Mystic advocated for the new legislation, which now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature. Full Story
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Emily Foxhall is The Texas Tribune's climate reporter. She joined the Tribune as an energy reporter in December 2022, focused on the state’s transition to green energy and the reliability of the power grid. She completed a year-long Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in May 2025. Emily is based in Houston, where she grew up. After a stint as a Tribune student intern in 2012, she began her career at the Los Angeles Times and its community papers. She later worked at the Houston Chronicle where her environmental reporting uncovered the effects of climate change and pollution on the region. She won several Texas Managing Editors awards and was part of the 2017 team that was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of Hurricane Harvey. Emily graduated from Yale University in 2013, where she studied English and was a Yale Journalism Scholar.
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![Damaged cabins seen along the river in Ingram on Monday July7, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Kerr County youth camps appeal to Dan Patrick on proposed floodplain restrictions
Camp Waldemar, Vista Camps and Camp Stewart ask the lieutenant governor for an expert to determine where cabins are located, want financial aid if pending camp safety bills pass. Full Story
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![Stuffed animals sit in a windowsill at Camp Mystic after a deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, on July 5, 2025.]()
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In response to failures and grieving parents, Texas lawmakers advance flood bills
Here’s where the proposed laws to address camp safety, flood warnings and emergency response stand in the Legislature. Full Story
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![Parents of Camp Mystic girls lost during the Guadalupe River flooding of July 4, 2025 pack seats in the Senate Chamber to view passage of Senate Bill 1 which strengthens summer camp regulations to help prevent future tragedies.]()
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Texas Senate fast tracks THC ban, flood prep and bathroom restrictions for transgender people
Senators moved fast on Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda for the second special session. With House Democrats back in Texas, bills can now move through that chamber. Full Story
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![State Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, speaks on the Senate floor at the Capitol on July 21, 2025.]()
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Texas Republicans and Democrats, locked in redistricting battle, weaponize flood response
With Democrats’ walkout over redistricting bringing the House to a standstill, both parties are accusing each other of abandoning Central Texas flood victims. Full Story
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![Texas Representatives look towards the voting board as attendance is called in the House Chambers on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Austin. It was the second day that representatives failed to meet quorum after Texas Democrats left the state in protest of new congressional maps.]()
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Texas House committee discusses flood bills despite standstill
Only one Democrat taking part in the quorum break was absent from the panel as the group discussed five bills and the chair vowed their work would go on. Full Story
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![Texas Repersentives gather for a committee hearing regarding flood relief in the Capitol Extension on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Austin, Texas.]()
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Top two Kerr County emergency officials say they were asleep as July 4 floods struck
Their statements to state legislators marked the first time county officials have spoken publicly about what they were doing the morning of the disaster that killed more than 100 people in the county. Full Story
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![People listen in to a panel of local Kerr County officials testify during a joint committee hearing at the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville on Thursday, July 31, 2025.]()
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As the floods hit, Kerrville officials’ messages show lack of information about what was coming
Lawmakers plan to hear testimony Thursday in Kerr County. Questions remain about how state and local entities responded to flood warnings. Full Story
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![A July 5 aerial view of toppled trees near Hunt reveal the scope of the devastating July 4th flood in Kerr Co. Texts and emails show local officials were slow to grasp the severity of the disaster.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Texans will pay higher power bills as clean energy development slows because of tax credit cuts, economists say
The One Big Beautiful Bill drastically shortens the timeline for wind and solar projects to qualify for tax credits. This will impact even Texas, where wind and solar power have boomed and power demand is rising. Full Story
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![A solar project on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Ector County.]()
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Plans for flood warning system floundered before Hill Country floods, witnesses tell legislative flood committee
Lawmakers serving on special committees investigating deadly floods blasted a river authority for failing to build a flood warning system on the Guadalupe River. Full Story
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![Members of the Texas Senate and House hold a joint Disaster Preparedness and Flooding committee meeting Wednesday, July 23, 2025 in Austin. The joint committee was formed in the aftermath of recent devastating flooding in the Hill Country.]()
Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune