After hours of waiting and praying in the attic, the water stopped rising and the family was rescued. A first responder helped Matteson, wearing a navy and pink floral dress and quilted white jacket, into the back of a car. Her family survived. Their home was not so lucky.

Deadly and destructive flash flooding in Texas and several other states in July 2025 is raising questions about the nation's flood maps and their ability to ensure that communities and homeowners can prepare for rising risks.

Flood risks are intensifying as Texas experiences more extreme rainfall. State climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon and colleagues at Texas A&M University found that extreme one-day precipitation has increased by 5% to 15% in Texas since the late 20th century, and another 10% increase is expected by 2036.

The analysis follows recent flooding over the July 4th weekend in Texas Hill Country, which caused widespread damage in Kerr County. Only 2.5% of homeowners there had flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, highlighting the gap between exposure and coverage, according to Triple-I’s Texas Issues Brief.

Would a flood scale like those used for hurricanes and tornadoes have prompted different actions by Texas officals and the public before July 4th flooding?

There are questions over why oversight was eased at Mystic Camp as it expanded in a hazardous floodplain, the AP reported.

The risk of the catastrophic flooding that struck Texas Hill Country as people slept on July 4 and left at least 120 dead was potentially underestimated by federal authorities, according to an ABC News analysis of Federal Emergency Management Agency data, satellite imagery and risk modeling.

Some regions in the mid-Atlantic are also facing risks of flooding. On Sunday, Tropical Storm Chantal flooded parts of North Carolina, where more than 10 inches of rain fell near the Chapel Hill area. The Haw River, near Bynum, North Carolina, crested to nearly 22 feet, the highest crest on record there, as a result of those heavy rains.

The Lone Star State continues to grapple with a heartbreaking series of events. Just over a week after the initial catastrophic and deadly deluges, heavy rains and devastating flash floods have returned,