Coalition of Natural Resource experts met Friday in Comfort

Members of a growing alliance of natural resources organizations gathered in Comfort on Friday, stressing the loss of life and property.  They are now calling on local and state leaders to take action and prioritize smarter land management.

As search efforts continue for flood victims, the coalition is encouraging those impacted to stand up and advocate for measures to increase public safety across floodplains.

Lawmakers will gather in Austin starting Monday for the beginning of a special legislative session, which will prioritize improving early warning systems and other preparedness infrastructure in flood-prone areas.

“Sometimes tough love is love and that’s what we’re here to truly represent is the heart of the matter, which is to save lives, especially to save those innocent lives that are not choosing to put themselves into harms way,” said Ben Eldredge with the Heart of Texas Conservancy.  “The surest way of protecting human lives is to keep residential and commercial lodging out of the 100-year floodplain,” Eldridge said.

The coalition says that while extreme weather events cannot be prevented, the human and ecological impacts can be minimized through smarter planning and better coordination between developers, planners, and conservationalists.