In Texas, storms don\u2019t always end when the clouds clear. For some families, the next round of thunder, a chance of hail, or even a new flood watch can bring the fear from past events right back to the surface. And in South Texas, those reminders can feel relentless.<\/p>\n
As meteorologists, we talk a lot about the science: rain chances, flood risk and what weather alerts mean. However, for families who lived through major flooding, like the July 4 floods in the Hill Country, those same forecasts can feel intensely personal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are what we refer to as trauma or loss reminders,\u201d said Julie Kaplow, PhD, executive director of the Trauma and Grief (TAG) Center at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. <\/p>\n
Kaplow explained that rain, storms and flooding \u201ccan bring up the very same thoughts and feelings that we had at the time of the event.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clinicians sometimes describe this as weather-related post-traumatic stress: distress that resurfaces when the skies darken, or the next warning arrives. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019ve gone through a traumatic experience, your brain reacts as if the danger is present again,\u201d said Adriana McKinnon, LPC, chief program officer at the Children\u2019s Bereavement Center of South Texas. \u201cIt\u2019s normal to feel fear or anxiety, even when you\u2019re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experts say coping starts with recognizing what\u2019s happening, and then taking steps to restore a sense of control. Creating a safety plan, limiting constant exposure to alerts and nonstop coverage, and leaning on a support network can make a real difference. <\/p>\n
Adults caring for themselves matters, too, because children often absorb the stress of the people around them.<\/p>\n
How to talk to someone with disaster anxiety<\/p>\n
Ask first. \u201cDo you want to talk about what this weather is bringing up?\u201d<\/p>\n
Listen, then help. Use simple support before offering solutions.<\/p>\n
Validate. \u201cGiven what you\u2019ve been through, it makes sense.\u201d Avoid minimizing.<\/p>\n
Ground in now. Confirm what\u2019s true and the current risk from trusted sources.<\/p>\n
Do one practical step. Shelter plan, charge phones, grab shoes and flashlight, check neighbors.<\/p>\n
Limit alerts. Choose one source, set check-in times, and take breaks from scrolling.<\/p>\n
Keep kids calm. Brief facts, routines, and questions welcome.<\/p>\n
Get help if needed. If they can\u2019t settle or can\u2019t function, contact a pro\/crisis line.<\/p>\n
Resources<\/p>\n
If fear or anxiety starts interfering with sleep, school, work, or daily life, or if storm season brings frequent panic, flashbacks, or avoidance, it\u2019s important to reach out. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s normal to feel anxious and to feel afraid of the weather\u201d, McKinnon said. Healing can take time, and support can help you feel safe again. <\/p>\n
Immediate crisis support: Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).<\/p>\n
Brief PTSD risk screening tool for children (Meadows Institute) is available by clicking here<\/a>Lucine Center for Trauma and Grief is providing free care navigation for families experiencing bereavement from the flooding. You can call at 832-244-9502, or submit documents for financial assistance by clicking here.<\/a>Whatever the Weather<\/p>\n A collection of daily blog posts from the KSAT Weather Authority.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Texas, storms don\u2019t always end when the clouds clear. For some families, the next round of thunder,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[54462,4034,2125,22591,2384,27,29,28,8083],"class_list":["post-297771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-anxiety","tag-hill-country-floods","tag-mental-health","tag-ptsd","tag-storms","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news","tag-whatever-the-weather"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}