Michael Smerconish returns from vacation with a heavy heart, reflecting on the tragic Texas flood that left dozens dead—many of them children. Was it an unavoidable act of nature or a preventable catastrophe worsened by government staffing shortages and climate denial? Michael dives into today’s smerconish.com poll question, shares personal reflections on flash floods, and previews an important conversation with New York Times journalist Christopher Flavelle on the failures in weather forecasting. A sobering, thoughtful look at disaster response in a time of extreme weather.