In the early hours of July 4, 2025, over 30 feet of water rushed into Hunt, Texas with little warning to residents. While some were able to escape, over 100 people passed away, many being young girls from a local summer camp, Camp Mystic. Moments like these reveal the best and the worst in people. Often, local communities will rally around each other, allowing time for grieving and for the community to build their lives back up together. On social media, however, people often turn to political blame and negativity. When one is far away from a tragedy, it is easy to just hit post on a harmful comment or story, but what can be posted in one second can deepen the divide among citizens when unity is what is really needed during hard times. In times of hardship, focusing on solidarity instead of division and blame is essential as disasters can affect everyone regardless of politics. Communities are able to heal and rebuild faster when people choose kindness and empathy rather than blame.
After the Texas floods, many turned to social media to spread negative opinions and place blame on politics. According to the September Bark survey, 49 percent of students reported seeing negative and insensitive comments about the Texas floods on social media, showing how quickly hate can spread regarding a disaster. Politics often become involved in natural disasters and shift the focus away from the survivors and those who were lost to a political fight. According to the Magnolia Tribune, “Leftist activist Ron Filipkowski said in a now-deleted post, ‘The people in Texas voted for government services controlled by Donald Trump and Greg Abbott. This is exactly what they are getting.’” Filipkowski is implying that because of Texas’s political views, they deserved the tragedy that happened to them, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Natural disasters like these can happen to anyone, and no one is to blame. Instead of unfairly placing blame in tragic situations, helping others can allow communities to recover.
Even in the middle of devastation in Hunt, Texas, those who were able, helped their community in any way possible. According to KRIS News, “Nevada, an Iraq War veteran, is among dozens volunteering in the ongoing recovery effort. ‘Everybody gets tired,’ he said, ‘but the task is to help give closure to those families.’” Many of the search and rescue volunteers went days without rest, and many traveled from far away to help a community in need. During times of tragedy, an uplifting and helpful attitude is what’s needed.
Change is often required and sparked after a tragedy. In Texas, there was a lack of flood warnings, but blaming that on politics immediately after the floods is not what needed to happen. The parents of 27 children who died at camp during the flood fought to get Senate Bill 1 passed, the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act, which forces camps in flood areas to require more safety requirements to hopefully prevent any more flood-related deaths. In the face of tragedy, more people need to be willing to make a change that will prevent history from repeating itself.
Disasters can bring both unity and division all over the country. Insensitive and hateful comments only make the grief worse for those directly impacted, and therefore, it is important to keep in mind how a post might impact the one viewing it on the other side. While holding leaders accountable is important, it has a time and place which is not directly after a disaster occurs. Next time a tragedy happens, think about what you can do to make a positive impact, and make sure that anything you are posting or saying won’t create harm and hate towards those going through what could be the worst time of their life.
