The Texas Capitol Building took in floodwaters Aug. 15, as flash flooding that hit Austin found its way to the building.
Heavy rains flooded two hallways in the Capitol's extension building, according to Insider.
"The State Preservation Board is working with the governor’s office as well as all applicable agencies to address flooding at the Capitol stemming from the current storm in Austin. It’s all hands on deck" Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a Twitter post on Aug. 15.
Other state officials struck a more critical tone, arguing that better allocation of tax money could have averted the incident.
"Recent water damage to our TX Capitol reminds us that tax money should be spent wisely" state Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) said in an Aug. 18 post to his Twitter account. "It is not prudent to pay $20M for a state bullion depository that stores zero state assets & when private individuals can store at their local banks. We must do better with your money!"
A State Preservation Board representative told Insider that a clogged storm drain was the culprit behind the Capitol flooding. There have also been videos shared online showing water in the underground areas of the Texas Capitol Building.
There has also been some flooding of buildings on the University of Texas at Austin campus, Insider reported.
A freeze six months ago resulted in large-scale power and water outages throughout the state. A 2020 study from the Office of the Texas State Climatologist at Texas A&M University attributed the extreme weather to climate change and said to expect more such severe weather in the future, according to The Texas Tribune.