Devastating floods began sweeping across Central Texas on July 4, causing the Guadalupe River to surge at an alarming rate: 20 feet in the first three hours. The disaster ranks among the deadliest and most catastrophic in the state, claiming at least 136 lives, with four individuals still missing.
The floods captured national attention and served as yet another chilling reminder of the real and rising consequences of climate change. And as climate-driven disasters only grow more frequent and intense, Texans continue to suffer the fallout—both seen and unseen.
Among these unseen and overlooked consequences: increased risk of domestic violence.
Extreme weather events—floods, heatwaves and hurricanes—not only displace families and destroy homes, but they also strain financial resources and fracture essential support systems. These stressors can intensify existing inequalities and create volatile conditions increasing the risk of violence, particularly against women and girls.
For each degree of increasing temperatures, there is a 4.7 percent increase in intimate partner violence, a 2025 report from the United Nations found. Climate-driven disasters like heatwaves and floods are also linked to increases in child marriage, sexual exploitation and human trafficking—especially in vulnerable regions such as those affected by corruption or conflict. By 2090, experts predict 40 million more women and girls will experience intimate partner violence in a 2°C warming scenario.
These impacts are worldwide, but we’ve seen them play out time and again in Texas, where over 70 percent of domestic violence victims are women.
Texas is no stranger to extreme weather—from hurricanes and floods to heatwaves and winter storms—which have repeatedly shown how disaster compounds danger.
Take Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Striking near Rockport, Texas, the Category 4 storm caused catastrophic flooding, displaced 30,000 people, claimed the lives of 89 direct victims, and destroyed more than 200,000 homes and businesses. In the aftermath, researchers in Texas found psychological intimate partner violence increased from 36 to 47 percent, while district attorney offices in impacted counties noted both a rise in the number and severity of cases. Counties also saw an increase in felony-level domestic violence offenses and related murders.
The pattern repeated in 2021 with Winter Storm Uri. As record levels of snow fell, at least 246 people died, and millions were left without power for days. Trapped in their homes, unable to go to work, and experiencing frustration and panic, Texas residents were exposed to climate-change related stressors. In the storm’s wake, shelters again reported overwhelming call volumes. FamilyTime Crisis and Counseling Center, a crisis center in Humble, Texas, reported that, as soon as Texans regained power following the storm, their phones began to ring incessantly. They continued to do so for the next two months.
Following Hurricane Beryl, a Category 1 hurricane in 2024, the Houston Area Women’s Center again saw a similar increase in domestic violence cases—an occurrence that commonly follows in the wake of such disasters, the center says.
Now, as Texas battles the effects of their most recent floods, unreported increases in domestic violence may already be occurring. The science and the stories both point to a troubling reality: Climate change is unquestionably and inescapably gendered.
Climate justice and violence are deeply connected—and it’s time we treated them that way. As the climate crisis escalates, so too does the threat of domestic violence.
We must take action. Women’s participation in political processes has been linked to climate mitigation and adaptation, pointing to the importance of women in political spaces. In countries with at least 38 percent women legislators, per capita forest cover increased. We also must see increased political efforts and funding for both the fight against climate change and gender based violence to bring about real change.
This is a crisis within a crisis—and real progress means confronting both. Now.
Resources for domestic violence victims:
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-SAFE (7233) or TEXT START to 88788
National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline — RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): 800-656-HOPE (4673)
National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 (TTY:711) or Text: 233733
Great Job Emersen Panigrahi & the Team @ Ms. Magazine Source link for sharing this story.
