The Guadalupe River flows past a make-shift memorial in Kerrville, Texas.Eric Gay/AP
Everything is a conspiracy theory if you don’t know how anything works, and that seems especially so when you take stock of the disinformation swirling in the aftermath of the deadly Texas floods.
The Independence Day floods in Texas Hill Country have killed at least 121 people, with scores still missing. Yet even as the increasingly desperate search continues, some are pointing fingers—not at policy or failed leadership—but at a familiar punch list of conspiracy theories about weather manipulation. From HAARP and DARPA to the Deep State and Democrats, influencers and partisans are sowing distrust and misinformation by labeling the disaster anything but natural.
The tragic irony? There’s no need for a conspiracy theory when the truth is this plain: Texas floods often—and it’s getting worse as part of the growing climate crisis, arguably abetted by the very politicians now scrambling to defend the state’s preparedness.
