Texas Camp Flood Highlights FEMA Mapping Flaws | JQJO

Camp Mystic, a Texas girls' camp, successfully lobbied FEMA to reclassify 60 of its buildings from high-risk flood zones to lower-risk zones between 2013 and 2020. This was achieved through engineering studies that challenged FEMA's outdated flood maps. A devastating flood in July, killing 28, followed. Experts question FEMA's map accuracy, suggesting the process is too easily manipulated, and that outdated data fails to account for climate change's impact on flooding. While reclassification may not have directly caused the tragedy, it highlights broader concerns about the reliability of FEMA's flood risk assessments.