The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson Flood Warning Failures: The Texas Tragedy
When the flood came, the warnings didn’t. In this episode, a deadly cascade of communication breakdowns and the consequences of delay. At least 129 people are dead, with dozens still missing, after historic flash flooding swept through central Texas. The timeline reveals a gap between federal alerts and local action. Lives were lost in those hours.
We examine what went wrong, why the local warning system never materialized despite years of requests, and how messaging from state and national leaders continues to fail the public in real-time. From delayed sirens to political deflections, this is a story about infrastructure, accountability, and the high cost of silence.
Plus: the Camp Mystic aftermath, FEMA’s delayed deployment, the governor’s football analogy, and the backlash to a viral video that reframed the tragedy through race and privilege.
The floodwaters receded. The questions haven’t.
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