AccuWeather has estimated that the economic damage caused by the flash floods in Texas’s Hill Country region over the July Fourth weekend could range from $18 billion to $22 billion. The meteorological service highlighted that the flooding in Kerr County will have lasting economic consequences for the area.
The process of repairing and mitigating water damage is described as particularly expensive, and many homeowner insurance policies do not cover such costs. This issue has been compounded by rising insurance premiums in Texas, partly due to climate change and the increasing frequency of natural disasters.
The estimate accounts for various factors, including damage to residential and commercial properties, campgrounds, recreational facilities, and infrastructure. It also considers the expenses related to evacuations, relocations, emergency management, and cleanup operations. Additionally, the assessment includes disruptions to commerce and supply chains, financial losses from power outages, road closures, travel delays, and reduced tourism. The estimate further incorporates projected insurance claims and long-term physical and mental health care needs for survivors and families affected by the tragedy.
The death toll from the floods in Central Texas has exceeded 100 people, with search efforts for missing individuals continuing for five days. Kerr County Judge Robert Kelly described the Guadalupe River basin as one of the most dangerous river valleys in the United States, citing steep slopes and the rapid movement of storms into low-lying areas.
AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist, Jonathan Porter, explained that the Texas Hill Country is among the most vulnerable regions in the country for flash flooding. The area’s complex terrain, with numerous hills and valleys, channels water into concentrated areas. Combined with moisture from the Gulf and the eastern Pacific, this creates conditions conducive to severe flooding. The Guadalupe River level rose by approximately 30 feet within an hour due to a fast-moving wall of water, which Porter noted is extremely destructive.
Porter raised concerns about the placement of camps and RV parks near high-risk waterways, questioning why such facilities were established in vulnerable locations.
Between 1980 and 2024, Texas experienced 190 natural disasters that each cost at least $1 billion, the highest number in the country according to a ConsumerAffairs analysis of data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
— news from (GovTech)
— News Original —
$18M to $22M in Economic Loss Predicted From Texas Floods
(TNS) — The economic loss resulting from the flash flooding that devastated parts of the Hill Country over the July Fourth weekend could reach $18 billion to $22 billion, according to a preliminary estimate by AccuWeather.
The flooding in Kerr County “will have long-lasting economic impacts in the Hill Country region of Texas,” AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter said in a statement.
Repairing and mitigating water damage is “particularly costly” and often not covered by homeowner ‘s insurance policies, the commercial weather forecaster said. Insurance costs have climbed in Texas in recent years, in part because of climate change and the havoc wreaked by an increasing number of natural disasters.
The company said its estimate takes into account damage to homes, businesses, campgrounds, recreation facilities and infrastructure; the cost of evacuations, relocations, emergency management and cleanup operations; disruptions to commerce and supply-chain logistics; financial losses from power outages, road closures, travel delays and less tourism; predicted insurance claims; and long-term physical and mental health care for survivors and families whose loved ones perished.
The death toll across Central Texas has surpassed 100 people, and search efforts for the missing stretched into a fifth day Tuesday. Kerr County Judge Robert Kelly on Friday called the Guadalupe River basin “the most dangerous river valley in the United States,” in part because of steep slopes and fast movement of storms into low-lying areas.
“The Texas Hill Country is one of the most flash-flood vulnerable parts of the country. You have complex terrain, lots of hills and valleys that water can pour into and often access to Gulf moisture and moisture from the eastern Pacific,” Porter said. “The level of the Guadalupe River rapidly increased roughly 30 feet with a fast-moving wall of water in less than an hour. There ‘s nothing worse than fast-moving water; it will destroy everything in its path.”
He added: “Outside of consideration of this tragedy, why were camps and RV parks where people sleep even built and operated in such close proximity to these high-risk creeks, streams and rivers?”
Between 1980 and 2024, Texas experienced 190 natural disasters that cost at least $1 billion each — the highest tally nationwide, according to a ConsumerAffairs analysis of data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
© 2025 the San Antonio Express-News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.