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Two San Antonio City Councilmembers teamed up on social media to address the deadly flash floods that left 13 people dead last week.
The majority of the fatalities occurred near Loop 410 and Perrin Beitel on the Northeast Side, which borders Districts 2 and 10. A wall of water also swept more than a dozen vehicles into Beitel Creek during the floods.
District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez said the tragedy emphasizes the importance of equitable investment.
"As our city continues to grow, the need for drainage and infrastructure improvement also grows — especially in our most vulnerable communities downstream," he said.
District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte said the city council will consider flood mitigation and drainage needs during upcoming city budget discussions.
"Basic infrastructure, including drainage and flood mitigation, should be one of our priorities," Whyte said. "Our infrastructure funding levels should always ensure that our communities are protected — not just in times of crisis, but year round."
The City of San Antonio and Bexar County recently issued a joint disaster declaration formally requesting recovery assistance from the State of Texas.
"The scale of what's needed — from rebuilding our infrastructure to improvements in drainage and flood mitigation — requires coordinated investment across all levels of government," said McKee-Rodriguez.
The city attorney's office also announced other agencies to conduct a review of the flooding, which will include an independent engineer evaluation of the factors that contributed to the event.
A damage survey of infrastructure impacted by the flooding is also expected to be completed.
