A rally and memorial was held on the Ellipse near the White House on Monday for the victims of the Kerr County, Texas, flood on the weekend after the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n
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Climate activists rally at the White House in memory of those lost in Texas floods<\/p>\n
A rally and memorial was held on the Ellipse near the White House on Monday for the victims of the Kerr County, Texas, flood on the weekend after the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n
It was organized by climate activists and others who are demanding the full funding of the National Weather Service, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They said cuts over the years by federal and local agencies are directly responsible for the deaths of over 120 people.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur hearts are broken to be here commemorating the lives of 27 children who should be at home right now, recounting the adventures they had at summer camp,\u201d said Samantha Gore, a Texas mom who attended Camp Mystic as a child.\n<\/p>\n
Gore and about 30 other people held signs reading, \u201cNo more kids lost to climate disasters,\u201d and, \u201cWe need warnings not cuts.\u201d<\/p>\n
They stood behind 27 pink, lavender and blue footlockers with a yellow or red rose on top, commemorating each of the young girls at Camp Mystic who were swept away in floodwaters on July 4.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need more than thoughts and prayers, we need accountability. That\u2019s why we\u2019re here,\u201d said Nyeka Arnold, with Austin-based The Healing Project. \u201cWho\u2019s responsible when families are left without shelter, food or power?\u201d<\/p>\n
People at the rally warned that if cuts continue, so will tragedies like what happened in Texas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what\u2019s coming for every community in America,\u201d said a man who identified himself only as a dad from San Antonio, the closest major city to where the disaster occurred in Kerrville.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you think it\u2019s just this one place, it\u2019s coming for you next,\u201d he said. \u201cYou think you\u2019re safe? No place is safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those participating in the rally said this was not just a natural disaster, it was a preventable event. They said it was made worse by climate change and political decisions that don\u2019t invest in emergency warning systems that could have saved lives.<\/p>\n
The advocates are imploring Congress to bring back the funding of critical infrastructure and the organizations that predict severe weather. They said climate change is real, and they want elected leaders, especially members of President Donald Trump\u2019s administration to acknowledge that and make the proper investments to ensure what happened in the Texas Hill Country doesn\u2019t happen again.<\/p>\n
\u201cParents are here, calling on our National Weather Service, and NOAA, and FEMA, to be fully funded. These are the agencies we use to protect our children and to protect our families,\u201d Gore said.<\/p>\n