OPINION: History warned us: Why central Texas’ tragedy is a wake-up call for Mississippi
By Felicia Tripp
JA Guest Writer
“They knew it could happen.” That chilling phrase opened CBS News’ report on the deadly flooding in Central Texas. But it could just as easily be said about Jackson, Mississippi – because we do know it can happen here. Again.
We’ve had the floods – 1979, 2020, and others that didn’t make national news but still shattered homes and lives. We’ve had the studies. We’ve had the funding. But what we haven’t had – at the city, county, or state levels – follow-through, urgency, or sustained action.
And if we don’t act now, we’ll be next on the national news – not as a state that learned from history, but as one swallowed by it.
The Water Is Rising and So Are the Warnings
The Pearl River, running through Jackson, has long posed a serious flooding threat. In 1979, it crested at a record 43.3 feet. In 2020, thousands were displaced once again. Despite those events, WLBT reports that just $4.3 million has been spent over the past decade to develop flood control plans – most of it wasted on studies that never became action.
One such plan, the highly controversial One Lake project, has finally been rejected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As Mississippi Today and Mississippi Free Press report, the Corps found One Lake not only failed to significantly reduce flooding but also posed environmental and public safety risks – validating long-standing concerns raised by residents, environmental advocates, and community leaders.
Millions spent. No meaningful progress. And communities still left in harm’s way.
Failure at Every Level
Let’s call it what it is: a failure of emergency management, from top to bottom.
At the city level, communication during crises is often inconsistent or too late. Infrastructure is fragile, and long-term planning is nearly nonexistent.
At the county level, disaster preparedness is fragmented, with little coordination and inadequate investment in grassroots readiness.
At the state level, Jackson’s needs are routinely neglected or politicized. Decisions are made with little input from – or concern for – the residents most at risk.
This crisis is worsened by troubling changes at the federal level. As FEMA undergoes restructuring and its capacity shrinks, we are witnessing the slow dismantling of the very systems designed to protect us. If the cavalry is no longer coming – or coming too late – then we must rethink what protection means.
No Taxation Without Representation – and No More Waiting to Be Saved
We must be clear: Governmental accountability is not optional. If we are taxed, we must be represented. If we are counted in the census, we must be counted in the planning. We cannot allow our tax dollars to fund agencies and processes leaving us behind when the waters rise.
But we must also face an uncomfortable truth: we must prepare to save ourselves.
We cannot afford to wait for emergency alerts from officials who don’t show up until after the crisis. We must stop hoping for top-down solutions and start organizing from the ground up.
Disasters, we now know, are not great equalizers. They are great revealers – exposing long-standing neglect, systemic inequities, and political failures that we’ve tolerated for far too long.
The Never-Ending Cycle of Studies Without Action
After every flood, winter storm, or crisis, consultants are hired. Reports are published. Press conferences are held. And then? Nothing.
The same communities that are studied are the same communities still unprotected.
We don’t need another task force. We need results. We need clear timelines. We need community control over the process – because the people closest to the problem are also closest to the solution.
Five Things We Must Do Now
1. Organize Neighborhood-Based Emergency Accountability Groups.
Every block needs a team tracking flood plans, monitoring public meetings, and coordinating local emergency response.
2. Engage in the Pearl River Flood Study Public Comment Period.
The Corps is reopening input. Our voices must be loud, unified, and impossible to ignore.
3. Demand Transparent Use of Public Funds.
Where did the $4.3 million go? What did it achieve? And what’s next? Hold every agency accountable for every dollar spent.
4. Push for an Independent Preparedness Audit.
The city, county, and state must be evaluated by outside experts – and the results must be made public.
5. Build Community Resilience Hubs Now.
Churches, libraries, community centers – these must be our emergency response centers, equipped with radios, supplies, power sources, and trained volunteers.
Our Future Is in Our Hands
The tragedy in Central Texas should shake us. But it should also wake us.
This is no longer just about flooding. It’s about whether communities like Jackson – Black, Southern, working-class, and historically underserved – will continue to be sacrificed by politics, neglect, and inaction.
We must not let another flood catch us unprepared. We must not let another dime be wasted on plans that never see daylight. And we must not accept being last in line – not for protection, not for resources, not for recovery.
Let’s demand representation. Let’s demand accountability. And most of all, let’s build the systems and solidarity to save ourselves – because we are the help for which we’ve been waiting.
Publisher’s Note: Ms. Tripp is the Environmental & Climate Justice Chair for the Jackson Branch NAACP and Jackson Association of Neighborhoods Board Member & Resilience Committee Chair.
