217 Today: Meteorologist breaks down Texas flood tragedy and how to stay prepared for flooding in Illinois

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A man walks past crosses and flowers that form a make-shift memorial along the Guadalupe River as the Texas Senate and House Select Committees on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding hold a public hearing in Kerrville, Texas, Thursday, July 31, 2025.
  • Photo: AP Photo / Eric Gay

Friday, August 8, 2025

Today’s headlines: 

  • A community of tiny homes to house and support the chronically homeless is coming to Urbana.
  • There were no signs of the FBI yesterday confronting any Democratic Texas lawmakers who have sought refuge in Illinois. 
  • The Trump Administration is ending a 45-year-old federal database that tracks the financial cost of climate disasters.
  • Two people are dead after a helicopter crashed into a barge on the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois yesterday.

In today’s deep dive, the weather story that dominated the news this summer was the Texas flood tragedy. An Illinois meteorologist breaks down what happened and why you should never risk driving through a flash flood.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Orellana. Reporting today contributed by Mae Antar, Alex Degman, Celia Llopis-Jepsen, Sarah Fentem, Maddie Stover and Jeff Frame.

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Stephanie Orellana