In the Hill Country area of Texas, flooding is a common occurrence. Back in 1987, heavy rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to overflow, leaving over 30 individuals stranded and resulting in the tragic deaths of 10 teenagers from the Pot O’ Gold Christian Camp.

Since then, local authorities have been actively pursuing both public and private funding opportunities to prevent similar flooding incidents in the future. Recent reports have highlighted efforts to secure grants aimed at addressing these concerns, prompting questions regarding the recent storm surge along the Guadalupe River that claimed numerous lives.

An allocation of $1 million was granted in 2017 to enhance the high-water detection systems along the Guadalupe River. This funding was utilized to deploy 10 additional gauges to better monitor water levels and improve early warning capabilities.

Three years ago, PepsiCo and Frito-Lay awarded a $1.2 million grant to the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, or the GBRA, which strives to conserve and protect the water resources of the Guadalupe River Basin.

The GBRA was established by the Texas Legislature in 1933.

Two 60-year-old Goff Bayou radial gates, which regulated periodic flooding and high tides, were replaced with the grant.

“The structure’s resiliency to withstand extreme weather conditions and climate variability will be enhanced,” the companies boasted in a news release.

Officials have also been restoring area wetlands as a way to enhance natural flood management, and money has been spent on improved investments in drainage systems and other flood control infrastructure.

But the efforts apparently failed to prevent Friday’s deadly floods, in which 32 people, including 14 children, were killed when the Guadalupe again surged over its banks.

Texas officials pointed fingers at the National Weather Service, which they said issued forecasts earlier in the week downplaying the impending storm and its severity.

“The original forecast that we received Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3 to 6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4 to 8 inches in the Hill Country,” offered Texas Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd at a news conference Friday.

“The amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts,” Kidd added.