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Trump spending cuts, his approach to climate change attacked as catalyst of catastrophic Texas flooding


White House said it was 'shameful and disgusting' to see people politicizing the tragedy in Texas
By Alec Schemmel Fox News
Published July 6, 2025 12:06pm EDT
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tr...ked-catalyst-catastrophic-texas-flooding


Critics of President Donald Trump wasted no time blaming staffing cuts at the National Weather Service (NWS) for the widespread death and destruction caused by the floods in Texas, a reaction the White House called "shameful and disgusting."

At least 59 people, including 21 children, have been confirmed dead from the flash floods along the Guadalupe River that began Friday. Eleven children and one counselor remain missing from a girls' summer camp near the river, which flooded due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry. That storm made landfall over Mexico, but triggered massive unexpected thunderstorms over parts of Texas.

"It only took 9 days for Trump's cuts to the [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] to kill dozens of children in Texas when Tropical Storm Barry landed this week," Grant Stern, the executive editor of Occupy Democrats, wrote on X.


Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a press conference Saturday, and acknowledged some of the criticisms regarding the nation's flood notification systems, which included concerns that weather forecasts underestimated the amount of rain that ultimately fell.

Noem noted that the Trump administration is "currently upgrading" the nation's flood notification technology, which she described as "ancient."


"When the [weather] system came over the area, it stalled," Noem said during the press conference. "It was much more water, much like [what] we experienced during [Hurricane] Harvey, with the same type of system that was unpredictable in the way that it reacted in the way that it stopped right here and dumped unprecedented amounts of rain that caused a flooding event like this."

Tom Fahy, legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, told NBC News that weather forecasting offices were adequately staffed, and "they issued timely forecasts and warnings leading up to the storm," but he added that unfilled leadership positions were "clearly a concern."

"All I'll say is this. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Kerr County more than 12 hours ahead of the catastrophic flood. A flash flood warning was issued for Hunt & Ingram 3 HOURS before the Guadalupe started to climb," said Texas-based meteorologist Avery Tomasco. "They did their job and they did it well."

The same sentiment was echoed by other meteorological experts as well.


But, still, news of the advanced warnings has not stopped people from using the catastrophe to criticize the Trump administration.

"The reason Trump defunded the National Weather Service leading to the deaths of all those girls in the Texas flood is because PROJECT 2025 THOUGHT WEATHER PREDICTION SCIENCE WAS TIED TO EVIDENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE," musician Mikel Jollett wrote on X.

Isaiah Martin, a Democratic candidate for Texas's 18th Congressional District, called for an immediate congressional investigation into "the Republican DOGE cuts to NOAA and the National Weather Service."

"We saw the affects (sic) this weekend," Martin wrote on X. "Trump defunded these agencies and we DEMAND answers. There MUST be *swift* accountability!"

"Trump & Musk gutted the National Weather Service. The result was predictable: A bad forecast leading to the death of children in a horrific flood," added California state Senator Scott Wiener.


Meanwhile, Washington Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee did not directly blame Trump's approach to climate change for the deaths, but he suggested the president's efforts to peel back green energy funding are a contributing factor to increased catastrophic natural disasters, like this weekend's flood in Texas.

"It is hard to make the Texas flood tragedy worse, except to know that on the same day Trump signed a bill cratering solar and wind energy that is vital in the battle against the climate change making these torrential rains more frequent," Inslee wrote on X this weekend.

During an interview with CNN, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, added that he didn't think it was helpful to have open leadership positions that, if filled, could "help prevent these strategies."

"I don’t think it’s helpful to have missing key personnel from the National Weather Service not in place to help prevent these tragedies," Castro said, adding "we have to figure out in the future how we make sure that it doesn’t happen again."

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson called it "shameful and disgusting" to see that in the wake of this tragedy people are politicizing what took place.

"It’s shameful and disgusting that in the wake of tragedy, the left’s first instinct is to lie and politicize a disaster to target their political opponents. False claims about the NWS have been repeatedly debunked by meteorologists, experts, and other public reporting," Jackson said. "The NWS did their job, even issuing a flood watch more than 12 hours in advance. The Trump Administration is grateful to the first responders who sprung into action to save hundreds lives during this catastrophe, and will continue to help the great state of Texas in their recovery efforts."

Fox News' Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

Texas flooding updates: Statewide death toll now at least 80, say officials

Story by Emily Shapiro, Jack Moore, Nadine El-Bawab, Ivan Pereira • 41m •
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/t...ow-at-least-80-say-officials/ar-AA1HZROu


At least 80 people are dead after heavy rain led to "catastrophic" flooding in Texas.

At least 41 people were missing statewide as of late Sunday afternoon, officials said.

Kerr County was hit the hardest, with 68 deaths, including 28 children. President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration for the county and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground there.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing.

Latest Developments
Jul 7, 8:22 AM

At least 27 Camp Mystic campers, counselors have died

Camp Mystic said at least 27 of its campers and counselors died in the devastating flooding.

"Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly," the camp said in a statement.


The camp said it’s in touch with the officials "who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls."

"We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level," the camp added.

Jul 7, 6:04 AM

Latest forecast: Flood watch in Hill Country areas until 7 p.m.

A flood watch is in effect through 7 p.m. on Monday for areas in the Texas Hill Country, including Kerr County, Burnet, Austin and San Antonio.

Storms are forecast to be isolated and some areas will likely see nothing, while others may see heavy rain in short periods.

Locally, 2 to 4 inches of rain are possible, with the National Weather Service saying up to 10 inches are possible in the most extreme cases. Near-term models are not indicating a repeat of rains that led to the July 4 or July 5 deadly floods.

More rain is possible on Wednesday, with the rest of the week remaining dry for Hill Country.

-ABC News' Kenton Gewecke

Jul 6, 11:19 PM

Death toll in Texas flooding rises to at least 80

At least 80 people have died in Texas as a result of the catastrophic flooding in the state. The death toll continues to rise as officials in affected areas conduct search and rescue operations.

By far the greatest number of fatalities occurred in Kerr County, where at least 68 people are believed to be dead, according to officials.

Deaths were also reported in Travis County, Williamson County, Burnet County and Tom Green County.

-ABC News' Darren Reynolds

Jul 6, 10:06 PM

Additional rainfall, search and rescue operations continue in Kerr County: Sheriff

Officials in Kerr County, Texas, said in an update on Sunday that search and rescue operations are continuing as additional rain impacts already flood-hit areas.

"There was additional rain in the upper Guadalupe basin this afternoon, leading to a rise in Johnson Creek," the Kerr County Sheriff's Office wrote in a post on Facebook.

The agency said the additional rainfall may lead to a rise of one to two feet downstream when it enters the Guadalupe River in Ingram.

"Please be aware if you are near the Guadalupe River or Johnson Creek," the sheriff's office said.

Jul 6, 6:07 PM

Trump says he'll 'probably' visit Texas on Friday, avoids FEMA question

Speaking with reporters before boarding Air Force One on Sunday, President Donald Trump spoke about the flooding in Texas, saying he'll "probably" visit the state on Friday.

"We're working very close with representatives from Texas, and it's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible," Trump said, saying he's spoken with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Asked if the meteorologists at the National Weather Service who were impacted by the federal cuts should be hired back, Trump initially said he didn’t know but eventually said no.

Trump also wouldn't answer if he was working on plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as internal documents show the agency isn't properly staffed.

“Well, FEMA is something we can talk about later, but right now they're busy working, so we'll leave it at that," the president said.

-ABC News' Lalee Ibssa and Hannah Demissie

Jul 6, 5:23 PM

Texas flooding death toll now at least 78

The number of deaths due to the flooding in Texas is now at least 78, according to the latest information from state officials.

Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) Chief Nim Kidd said during an afternoon press conference with Gov. Greg Abbott in Austin that there were at least 69 people confirmed dead, based on information that was "a few hours hold" at the time they prepared for the conference.

Those numbers included 59 confirmed dead in Kerr County, according to Abbott and Kidd, with 41 missing across the state.

In a separate press conference the began just as Gov. Abbott's was ending, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said that as of 1:30 p.m. local time, there were 68 dead in the county, including 28 children – nine more Kerr County deaths that previously reported.

Eighteen adults and 10 children are pending identification, according to Leitha.

Leitha added that 10 campers and one counselor at Camp Mystic remain unaccounted for. Earlier Sunday, 11 campers remained unaccounted for. It's not known if the single camper was found alive or is among the dead.

Gov. Abbott said only people with "specific information" about a missing person should contact officials in order to prevent unnecessary calls from potentially interfering with recovery efforts.

Jul 6, 4:16 PM

Gov. Abbott giving press conference

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other officials are currently conducting a press conference in Austin to share the latest information regarding the flooding in Texas.

Jul 6, 1:26 PM

Statewide death toll is now at least 80, say officials

The death toll now stands at 80 in the wake of torrential rains and the resulting flooding in Texas.

By far the greatest number of fatalities occurred in Kerr County, where 68 people are believed to be dead, according to officials, including 28 children.

In Travis County, five people are believed dead, with three dead in Burnet County and one death each reported in Tom Green and Williamson counties, officials have said.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing.

Jul 6, 1:05 PM

FEMA activated in Texas, according to DHS

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been activated in Texas, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The activation comes in the wake of President Trump on Sunday signing a disaster declaration for hard-hit Kerr County, where at least 59 people have died as a result of the torrential rains and resulting flooding.

The U.S. Coast Guard is also helping with search-and-rescue operations in the area, according to DHS, using helicopters and other aircraft equipped with thermal cameras to search for survivors.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is "on the ground with Governor Abbott and local leaders on Saturday and will continue to work to make sure Texas has the resources needed to respond and recover," the DHS statement said.

Jul 6, 11:40 AM

President Trump signs "Major Disaster Declaration" for Kerr County, Texas

President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Sunday morning that he has signed a "Major Disaster Declaration" for Kerr County, Texas.

The declaration is "to ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need," the post said, in part.

"These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing. The Trump Administration continues to work closely with State and Local Leaders. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was on the ground yesterday with Governor Greg Abbott, who is working hard to help the people of his Great State," Trump also wrote.

Click here to read the rest of the blog.

There’s still a lot people in WV, NC, KY, homeless after the floods there. Not a good sign for the people of Texas. Didn’t Trump slash FEMA funding in his BBB?

The homeless population is growing exponentially with Trump at the helm and we get crickets from the right. But that’s for yet another thread.

Trump picks and chooses. Abbott has done a lot for trump. He has licked hos boots well. As a result both FEMA and the Coast guard were sent out right away.....

Trump sending federal resources to Texas after deadly flash flooding

Trump posted on social media Saturday, "Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy. Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!"

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem activated the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Coast Guard to assist state and local officials. In a post Saturday afternoon, Noem said the Coast Guard "has saved or assisted in saving 223 lives."

https://www.kmbc.com/article/trump-sending-federal-resources-to-texas-flash-flooding/65306191

In that same article Noem also said this.............

Noem said the storm was slow-moving and unleashed more rain than originally expected. She added that the Trump administration is working to upgrade National Weather Service technology to issue alerts sooner in the future.

"We know that everybody wants more warning time, and that's why we're working to upgrade the technologies that have been neglected for far too long to make sure the families have as much advanced notice as possible," Noem said at a press conference Saturday................

You know, they have to upgrade a system that seemed to work just fine before trump took office. Now what exactly changed there since he took office? Things that make you go hmmmmm.

The states that actually contribute to federal funds actually get the least amount back in tragedies like this.

And Trump said "Let there be Rain"
And there was rain upon the face of the earth.
But in Trump fashion he went too far,so it is his fault.

Politics
Former National Weather Service leaders warn about "loss of life" from NOAA cuts
By
Updated on: May 5, 2025 / 2:05 PM EDT / CBS News

The five living former National Weather Service leaders wrote and released an open letter to the American people warning about the impact of staffing and program cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, saying their "worst nightmare" is the cuts will lead to "needless loss of life."

Since the beginning of the year, more than 550 employees have left the National Weather Service, leaving it down 10% of its staffing levels ahead of hurricane season and the busiest time of year. And the proposed budget released by the White House will cut NOAA, the parent agency of the National Weather Service, by nearly 30%, virtually eliminating NOAA's research functions for weather, limiting ocean data observations and decreasing funding for new satellites, they said.

The five signatories — Louis Uccellini, Jack Hayes, Brigadier General D.L. Johnson, Brigadier General John J. Kelly Jr. and E.W. (Joe) Friday — worked under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

"Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life," their letter said. "We know that's a nightmare shared by those on the forecasting front lines — and by the people who depend on their efforts."

Some forecast offices might be so short-staffed they have to function only part-time, they warned.





"The Houston office has lost all three of its senior meteorologists," Friday told CBS News. "We have many offices across the country that are now having to close at night because they don't have sufficient staff," he said.

Friday pointed to the Easter-weekend storms and floods in Oklahoma that killed two people, which he said could have been forecasted better.

"Those are things that are going to happen with more and more stress on the organization," he said.

Friday said they hope to impress the urgency of the situation upon congressional leaders and the public.


"It is very unusual that all five of us former directors have agreed upon anything," said Friday, who is 86 years old and retired, living in Oklahoma. But collectively, the group felt it was important to the organization and science to share the message, he said.

Specifically, the former NWS directors warned that staffing cuts could have ramifications for airplanes that can't fly without accurate weather observations and forecasts, and ships that rely on storm forecasts to avoid dangerous high seas. Farmers also rely on seasonal forecasts to plant and harvest, they noted.

"As former directors of the National Weather Service, we know firsthand what it takes to make accurate forecasts happen and we stand united against the loss of staff and resources at NWS and are deeply concerned about NOAA as a whole. Join us and raise your voice too," the letter said.

The president's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget would make cuts to the majority of federal agencies, with the average cut being around 35%, according to the White House. It increases spending for the Pentagon and border security. Congress is ultimately responsible for crafting and passing a budget.

According to the proposed budget, NOAA could see more than $1.5-billion in cuts, mostly targeting climate-based research and data collection. But attempting to terminate any activity related to climate will also impact the ability to collect weather data.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-national-weather-service-leaders-letter-noaa-cuts/

Yet you are the only one that even hinted that. Typical. There are things such as warnings which help save lives. There are consequences for firing people that either assisted in those warnings or were in charge of such warnings. But that would take a discussion in accountability. Which is obviously something you aren't interested in.

Texas Flood Live Updates: Death Roll Rises To 90 As NWS Warns Of More Flooding


ByAntonio Pequeño IV, Forbes Staff andZachary Folk, Forbes Staff.

Follow Authors
Jul 07, 2025, 12:49pm EDT
https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoni...ses-to-90-as-nws-warns-of-more-flooding/

Firefighters from Mexico join response efforts to catastrophic Texas floods

KERRVILLE, Texas (Gray News/AP) – Volunteer firefighters from Acuña, Mexico, are helping rescue and recover teams in Texas after flash floods killed more than 80 people over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and left others still missing.

According to a protective services government agency in Mexico, the Civil Protection Water Rescue Team and Cure Firefighters teamed up with the nonprofit organization Foundation 911 to assist in search efforts in Kerrville, Texas.

The crews arrived Sunday morning and got straight to work.

After a flood watch notice midday Thursday, the National Weather Service office issued an urgent warning around 4 a.m. that raised the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life.

By at least 5:20 a.m., some in the Kerrville City area say water levels were getting alarmingly high. The massive rain flowing down hills sent rushing water into the Guadalupe River, causing it to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes.

Operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, said Monday that they lost 27 campers and counselors, confirming their worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River.

The floods, among the nation’s worst in decades, swept away people sleeping in tents, cabins and homes along the river Friday in the middle of the night.

Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday that there were 41 people confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County and said he would likely visit Friday.

“It’s a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible,” he told reporters.

https://www.wwnytv.com/2025/07/07/f...ponse-efforts-catastrophic-texas-floods/

"Noem noted that the Trump administration is "currently upgrading" the nation's flood notification technology, which she described as "ancient." "


Until this flood occurred, I don't remember one word said about upgrading the system.

I also know that the weather predicting system has been working pretty well. Not perfect, not sure how it could be perfect. Weather has a mind of it's own. But it worked well enough to warn people in the path of Hurricanes and Tornados and heat waves and cold snaps and snow storms and heavy rain storms and High winds and yes, FLOODING!

So unless someone can tell me where and when they began the upgrades and what equipment and products they are upgrading too, I'm calling BS on this.

According to the news tonight, when you get 16 to 20 inches of rain.............yes, flooding will occur, regardless of who is president.

This thread is absolutely why I stop posting or coming to this FOOTBALL or SPORTS NOT board is inexcusable !


Blame for the loss of life just makes me sick !

Purple make this board about sports, get the hate off this board. I'm so disgusted right now that people are on a stupid political forum blaming instead of praying for the life's of little children and adults

who have lost a child or experienced an incredible experience of survival or loss !

This is soooooo Disgusting ! I have no words for how this makes me feel !

Mac shame on you for making this thread

Shame shame shame This is nothing but evil and the devil speaking !


I'm so disgusted at this it makes me sick !

Federal forecast concerns surface in Texas’ deadly flooding debate
by: Josh Hinkle, David Barer

Posted: Jul 5, 2025 / 02:01 PM CDT

Updated: Jul 6, 2025 / 10:34 AM CDT

SHARE
KERR COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — State and local officials are calling out federal forecasters amid deadly flooding in the Texas Hill Country over the extended Fourth of July weekend. The criticism comes, as funding cuts and staff shortages plague the National Weather Service and other emergency management agencies nationwide.

Texas Department of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd told reporters Friday original forecasts from the National Weather Service predicted 4 to 8 inches of rain in that area, “but the amount of rain that fell in this specific location was never in any of those forecasts.”

“Listen, everybody got the forecast from the National Weather Service, right?” Kidd said. “You all got it, you’re all in media, you got that forecast. It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw.”

Conflicting officials, social posts leave evacuation delay questions in Kerr County flooding
Kidd added TDEM “worked with our own meteorologist to finetune that weather statement” but did not elaborate on any updated interpretation that would have led to more urgent warnings for evacuations.



The area actually received a much more significant amount of rain that night, with NWS observed totals exceeding 10 inches just west of Kerrville, near where dozens were killed or remain missing – including several children at a summer camp.

Localized LCRA rainfall totals in the region have exceeded 18 inches in some places.


The Guadalupe River in Kerrville measured just under a foot on Thursday, leading up to midnight. At about 4 a.m. Friday, the river rose over 30 feet in less than two hours, according USGS data.

Critical communication
On Friday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also said during a separate press event that TDEM Region 6 Assistant Chief Jay Hall “personally contacted the judges and mayors in that area and notified them all of potential flooding.” KXAN has requested record of that communication to verify that statement and its level of urgency.


Acting Gov. Dan Patrick being briefed (KXAN photo/Jordan Belt)
“Yesterday morning, the message was sent,” Patrick added. “It is up to the local counties and mayors under the law to evacuate if they feel a need. That information was passed along.”

NWS issued a flash flood warning at 1:14 a.m. Friday for a portion of Kerr County – where the majority of flood-related deaths have been reported. But it would be at least four hours before any county or city government entity posted directions to evacuate on social media.


City and county officials have yet to fully explain the timing of their Facebook posts surrounding the height of the flood or other ways they might have notified people near the water. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring, Jr., said Saturday the city had done an “admirable” job making sure all information was available to the public. KXAN is awaiting responses after requesting records of communication between city, county and state officials to better understand decisions regarding their public warnings.

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly has claimed officials “didn’t know this flood was coming.”

“This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States, and we deal with floods on a regular basis – when it rains, we get water,” Kelly said to reporters Friday. “We had no reason to believe this was going to be anything like what has happened here, none whatsoever.”

Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice reiterated that apparent lack of awareness, telling the media Friday: “This rain event sat on top of that and dumped more rain than what was forecasted.”



Damage in Kerrville on July 5, 2025, following a flash flood event on Independence Day (KXAN photo/Tom Miller)
Following those statements, the NWS provided additional details on its notification timeline for the Kerr County flood, including:

The National Water Center Flood Hazard Outlook issued on Thursday morning indicated an expansion of flash flood potential to include Kerrville and surrounding areas.
A flood watch was issued by the NWS Austin/San Antonio office at 1:18 p.m. on Thursday, in effect through Friday morning.
The Weather Prediction Center issued three Mesoscale Precipitation Discussions for the excessive rainfall event as early as 6:10 p.m. Thursday indicating the potential for flash flooding.
The National Water Center Area Hydrologic Discussion #144 at 6:22 p.m. on Thursday messaged locally considerable flood wording for areas north and west of San Antonio, including Kerrville.
At 1:14 a.m. Friday, a flash flood warning with a considerable tag (which denotes high-damage threats and will automatically trigger Wireless Emergency Alerts on enabled mobile devices and over NOAA Weather Radio) was issued for Kerr County.
The flash flood warning was upgraded to a flash flood emergency for southcentral Kerr County as early as 4:03 a.m. Friday.
The 5:00 a.m. National Water Center Area Hydrologic Discussion #146 on Friday included concern for widespread considerable flooding through the day. The Flood Hazard Outlook was also upgraded to considerable and catastrophic.
A flash flood emergency was issued for the Guadalupe River at 5:34 a.m.
KXAN is awaiting additional responses from the NWS on that timeline. KXAN also requested comments from Kidd and from NWS Austin/San Antonio Meteorologist in Charge Pat Vesper regarding how recent federal funding cuts might have impacted weather forecasting abilities in Texas.

TDEM responded but did not answer KXAN’s questions or indicate when Kidd would be available to speak directly about those issues. An NWS spokesperson said Vesper’s office “is focused on forecast operations right now, as flash flooding is ongoing.”

NWS staffing concerns
While state and local officials have not publicly – nor outright – blamed the Trump Administration’s financial decisions for any possible forecasting issues, public accusations on social media and elsewhere point to their timing during severe weather season.


For instance, directly under Vesper at the local NWS office is a key position – warning coordination meteorologist (WCM) – that has remained vacant since April. The role was most recently held by longtime employee Paul Yura, who took an early retirement package offered to agency workers as the administration worked to reduce the budget and personnel number at the NWS and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Yura, who KXAN recently reported spent more than half of his 32-year career at the local NWS office, gained tremendous experience understanding local weather patterns while ensuring timely warnings get disseminated to the public in a multitude of ways. The importance of his role as WCM cannot be understated.

‘Today will be a hard day’: Search ongoing for missing kids, adults in Kerrville
Ensuring ample and timely warning to Central Texas counties was among the chief responsibilities. According to NOAA, “The WCM coordinates the warning function of the office with the outside world. This would include heading the Skywarn Program, conducting spotter training and being a voice to the local media for the office.”

Following the Kerr County flood, KXAN reached out to Yura – who referenced a hiring freeze in his retirement message to the media – but he referred questions to an NWS public affairs official.


Along with Yura’s job, five other vacancies in the local NWS office have stacked up, according to its online staff roster and the NWS Employees Organization. Those include two meteorologists, two technology staff members and a science officer. The office has 26 employees when fully staffed.

Federal funding and staff cuts
The administration made cuts to the federal workforce an early priority in Trump’s second presidential term this year, and those reductions extended to the NWS.

In May, NBC News reported the agency was working to shuffle employees to cover 150 positions that were vacated by the firings of probationary employees and early retirements of other longtime workers.

Some forecasting offices were left without overnight service, though no Texas offices were mentioned among those.


Tom Fahy, the NWSEO legislative director, then told NBC the staff cuts could increase risk and damage the agency’s ability to respond to a disaster.

Fahy told KXAN on Saturday the Central Texas flooding “was indeed a flash precipitation event,” leading to massive rainfall – something the local NWS office still had “adequate staffing and resources” to handle, despite its vacancies.

“They issued timely forecasts and warnings leading up to the storm,” he said, also referencing flood watches “out well in advance” the day before the waters rose.

In early June, the NWS was seeking to hire at least 126 people across the country, including meteorologists, following previous staff cuts, The Hill reported. A NOAA spokesperson told the outlet the NWS would be conducting “short term temporary duty assignments” and providing “reassignment opportunity notices” to fill field offices with the “greatest operational needs.”


The NWS Austin/San Antonio Weather Forecast Office currently has a 15% vacancy rate for meteorologists. The office’s total vacancy rate was 12% at the beginning of the year, but that increased to 23% by the end of April when employees took buyouts, Fahy confirmed to KXAN.

Federal officials visiting
President Trump posted on Truth Social he is “working with State and Local Officials on the ground in Texas in response to the tragic flooding,” ahead of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visit to represent the administration in Kerrville Saturday.

During a press conference after surveying the area, Noem told reporters the amount of rain in this flooding event was “unprecedented,” underscoring the reason Trump is working to “fix” aging technology within NOAA.

“I do carry your concerns back to the federal government and back to President Trump,” she said, acknowledging the need for upgraded technology to give “families have as much warning as possible.”

Central Texas flooding
Central Texas and the Hill Country are broadly known for major floods. With one of the highest risks for flash flooding in the country, the area has earned the nickname “flash flood alley,” according to LCRA.

This weekend’s tragedy isn’t the first.


Blanco River flood in San Marcos May 27 2015. Courtesy: Getty Images
In 1987, a flood hit the Guadalupe River, pushing the waterway up 29 feet and catching a church camp bus, according to the NWS. The bus, which was being used to evacuate dozens of children, was swept away and 10 children were killed.

Again, in 1998, flooding struck the region. On Oct. 17 and 18 that year a storm dropped roughly 30 inches of rain near San Marcos. Homes along the Guadalupe River near Canyon Lake and down to Seguin were washed off their foundations, NWS reported.

Closer to Austin, the Blanco River experienced catastrophic flooding in 2015 during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Houses and bridges were washed away, and 13 people were killed across the region.

And on top of all of the cuts at the National Weather Service, there are significant issues with FEMA-all the indegrediants are there for a "perfect storm"

‘We’ve been ghosted by FEMA’: Officials across country say they can’t get answers on critical funding
Gabe Cohen
By Gabe Cohen, CNN
8 minute read
Published 12:03 PM EDT, Wed July 2, 2025



A view inside FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC, in September 2024.
A view inside FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC, in September 2024. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
CNN
—
As hurricane season bears down, a new layer of uncertainty is spreading through the disaster response system: a wall of silence from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that’s leaving officials from across the country scrambling for answers.

“We’ve been ghosted by FEMA,” Robert Wike Graham, deputy director of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management, told CNN, describing repeated, unanswered requests for information on vital emergency preparedness funding for his North Carolina community.

In Wyoming, where more than 90 percent of the state’s emergency management budget comes from the federal government, officials say their requests for clarity on emergency management funds also have gone unanswered.



“It’s very frustrating not to have good, official information, with lots and lots of rumors flying around, which creates anxiety for folks,” said Wyoming’s Homeland Security Director Lynn Budd. “I believe the regional level (of FEMA) is doing their very best to support us, but they are also being asked not to share too much information with us. So, it’s very unfortunate.”

From regional offices to the national headquarters, more than a half-dozen FEMA insiders as well as state and local emergency personnel who work with the federal agency told CNN they are frustrated by a clampdown on information sharing that they say will hamper disaster response.

Internal memos seen by CNN show top FEMA officials have ordered disaster relief personnel to stop most communication with the White House’s Office of Management and Budget and National Security Council as well as members of Congress — and direct those inquiries through FEMA’s acting administrator instead.

“Effective immediately ALL engagement with OMB, NSC, and the Hill needs to be routed through the Office of the Administrator,” one memo reads. “This includes answering questions if staff call you directly.”

Meanwhile, regional teams across the country have been instructed, at times, to limit sharing information with their state and local partners until granted approval from supervisors, multiple FEMA officials confirmed. They spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.


Noem demands more control over FEMA and Homeland Security funding, which could slow disaster response

These communication breakdowns risk delaying the distribution of key federal funding, according to state and local officials as well as sources inside FEMA.

The agency is behind schedule in the process for ensuring billions of dollars in grants — the lifeblood of local emergency management nationwide — can go out to localities and states in the coming months and years, those sources say. Some grants have already been paused or canceled as part of budget cuts.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson denied any sweeping directives or policies were issued, telling CNN in a statement: “This is fake news. FEMA employees were NOT banned from engaging with external partners. It should be common practice for FEMA leadership to be made aware of decisions happening at FEMA.”

But the memos, issued last month, do more than instruct staff to keep the front office informed — they explicitly restrict certain external communications and mandate that all such inquiries be vetted by the political appointees now running the agency.

The clampdown comes as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees FEMA, asserts extensive authority over the agency, reshaping its leadership and operations since President Donald Trump returned to office.

It also comes as the Trump administration is vowing to phase out FEMA after hurricane season this summer and fall, and shift responsibility for disaster management onto states.

CNN reached out to the White House about the new orders and was directed to the DHS by a spokesperson.

Communication bottleneck
The memos seen by CNN apply to FEMA personnel at every level of the agency, from senior leaders to rank-and-file employees.

That has created a bottleneck with effects that are already apparent in Washington.

The Office of Management and Budget and National Security Council — both part of the Executive Office of the President — are struggling to obtain basic information from FEMA on a slew of emergency funding and grants. An array of routine meetings were also abruptly canceled in recent days, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Moreover, officials inside FEMA warn that these new restrictions could make it harder for Congress to obtain unfiltered information from career staff without political influence.

“It eliminates transparency,” a longtime FEMA official told CNN, adding that critical questions about policy, recovery projects and agency readiness will now be filtered through layers of political bureaucracy.

While it’s not uncommon for administrations to route some communications with Congress and the White House through political appointees, this level of front-office review is extremely unusual, several FEMA officials said.

“To narrow the number of people who can do that engagement will create a choke point for that type of coordination, never mind the fact that the people now trusted to do that have no experience in disaster management,” a former senior FEMA official told CNN, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal.

DHS overhaul of FEMA
Several sources who spoke to CNN see the changes as part of a broad political shift that purposefully draws the agency into much closer political alignment with Trump and DHS Secretary Noem.

Noem and Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Trump ally who now works at DHS, ousted the president’s first acting FEMA administrator, Cameron Hamilton, after he repeatedly clashed with Lewandowski and later told lawmakers he did not support the administration’s controversial plan to dismantle FEMA — a move both Noem and Trump have publicly championed.

A view inside FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC, on September 30, 2024.
Related article
Exclusive: FEMA is ‘not ready’ for hurricane season, internal agency review shows

In his place, David Richardson, a homeland security official from the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction office with no prior experience handling large-scale natural disaster relief, was installed.

Richardson wasted no time making his mandate clear, telling FEMA staff on his first day that he will “run right over” anyone who tries to prevent him from carrying out the president’s mission.

Beyond its overhaul of FEMA’s front office, DHS is now inserting dozens of its own staffers into other parts of the agency with more on the way, filling vacancies left by a mass exodus of experienced emergency management leaders and employees, multiple FEMA officials tell CNN.

Noem also has imposed a requirement that she personally approve all DHS grants and contracts of more than $100,000, which FEMA officials warn could slow operations and severely disrupt aid distribution during natural disasters.

States lose out
These shifts come at a precarious moment for the nation’s disaster response system. Internal reviews have raised red flags about the agency’s readiness, warning that the loss of institutional knowledge and the politicization of disaster response could leave Americans vulnerable in the face of natural disasters.

As hurricane season intensifies, the Trump administration has already taken steps to shrink FEMA’s footprint. Just last week, the agency officially ended FEMA’s door-to-door canvassing of residents affected by disasters, shifting support work to recovery centers that residents can visit, according to a memo obtained by CNN.

The changes have rattled state emergency management teams, many of whom have spent months seeking information and guidance about the flow of federal funding and future of the agency.


Amid growing concerns of steep FEMA budget cuts, some local emergency management departments have started laying off staff, according to officials from the National Emergency Management Association, or NEMA.

This week, NEMA and a coalition of groups that represent mayors, state lawmakers and emergency management agencies fired off a sharply worded letter to Noem. It warned the agency still has not opened applications for a large number of key grants and is missing legally mandated deadlines to ensure the funds can be distributed. Those grants support a long list of initiatives, such as emergency planning and training, counterterrorism, cybersecurity upgrades, fire department equipment and staffing and public safety communications.

Delays, the groups say, are jeopardizing emergency response and homeland security capabilities, putting “critical infrastructure” at risk.

“This comes during a time when nation-state actors, domestic and international extremists, and the hazards of our natural environment pose a tremendous and increasing threat,” the groups wrote in the letter.

‘Muzzle’ on FEMA
Members of Congress also have grown frustrated with what they describe as FEMA’s persistent lack of responsiveness under the Trump administration.

“Under this administration, FEMA has been mostly silent to our questions or requests for information,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat and senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee, told CNN. “Hurricane season is underway. Not only do we need to conduct oversight of FEMA — we need to know whether it’s ready to act. I have serious doubts.”

Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat who serves as vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, says she’s been told FEMA personnel are being prevented from communicating with emergency management officials in her home state of Washington.


“There’s a very clear reason the Trump administration wants to muzzle FEMA staff, and it’s because they don’t want people to know about how the president is gravely undermining disaster preparedness and response at FEMA,” Murray told CNN in a statement. “These sorts of communications embargoes aren’t just outrageous – they jeopardize planning and response and, ultimately, people’s lives.”

Responding to CNN questions about the new directives for FEMA staff, Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, emphasized the need for clear and consistent communication from DHS and FEMA.

“I expect the Department of Homeland Security and its components to provide my team with timely, accurate, and relevant information when needed,” Britt said in a statement. “I believe it’s critically important, especially during hurricane season, that the flow of information between DHS and my team continues, which can make all the difference in protecting our communities and responding effectively to emergencies.”

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/02/politics/fema-critical-funding-disaster-response

I agree Bill. To try to blame anybody for the loss of life in a flood of nearly unrecorded proportions is despicable. Especially when the NWS issued warnings.

The toll is up around 100, many little kids who were just going to a summer camp, yet we have morons pointing a finger. Shame.

I think everybody needs to point all of their fingers towards the sky, put their hands together and pray for all the souls lost and the healing of their family's hearts, and in some cases, ask for forgiveness.

Thanks for clearing that up for us Arch... Geez man, that doesn't excuse Mistakes made by whoever.

So you only get upset if Trump and his minions get blamed? Is that it? Are you aware that Trump already blamed Biden?

Geez

There are different forums here. This one is for political discussions exclusively. If you don't want to discuss politics, don't click onto this part of the site. Nobody is forcing you to come to the political forum. So you bring religion into it? Shame on you.

Don't want to read this part of the forum? Don't click on, read it and then whine about it.

That's quite true. Now what went wrong, how does it get fixed so people are adequately warned to prevent this huge loss of life again? Don't you think that's a topic worthy of discussion? Or do we just say, "Well a lot of rain causes flooding and $#!+ happens"?

From what I've been gathering since this tragedy happened it was more a local and state issue than anything else. They had no warning sirens, they couldn't afford to pay for it locally and they put in for a grant which was not approved. The mayor even said he didn't get the phone alert and had no idea it was coming.

The thread title and various posts say otherwise.While very few have the courage to actually post it,the implications are obvious.

You have drawn the conclusion you were looking for rather than the one which is there. Nobody blamed trump for the rain falling. That's ludicrous. But just for you................

Donald Trump announced this morning that he is changing the name of the Guadalupe River in Texas to the John Wayne River. He said that would eliminate any future flooding in the region. "There is no way the late, great John Wayne would have ever allowed this to happen!", Trump stated.

Dedicated to BCbrownie.

In the very first press conference with local Texas officials-they made it political by blaming the weather service for the forecasts. But the alerts were sent out-the NWS was talking about the chances of substantial rain 4-5 days beforehand and repeatedly talked about the occurring rain event daily in their updated mesoscale discussions. The NWS had a flood watch the day before and issued warnings as needed and in time. It seems like for whatever reason, they were not acted upon. Also, the kids in this camp were not allowed to have their phones or tablets with them but I would think they would have administrators who had access to phones/computers.


And with the cuts that are being made to the National Weather Service and FEMA, this is going to be your front lines in a disaster-the county local emergency management, first responders, your local early warning system and your local weather service office.

There were about 700 campers at this site when the flood hit as well as staff and admin. It could have been so much worse.


And it is very much a topic of discussion especially with all the federal changes-cause it will happen again and again-
new place-more blame, inaction and lots of thoughts and prayers

Trump yesterday shut down the US Climate Change website. So I guess that is no longer a problem.

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-07-01/trump-us-climate-website

They don't want any of that discussed and if you do, they claim it makes you a bad person. If you do anything besides sending thoughts and prayers they claim it makes you a terrible human being. God forbid anyone try to deduce what went wrong to help prevent events like this from taking more lives in the future.

And whatever you do, don't bring up that it was trump who first made it political to start with by blaming the NWS for this. They'll say something childish like you must have TDS if you present the facts.

Four days after search and rescue efforts began, authorities in Kerr County seemed to dodge and deflect questions from reporters Tuesday about when they knew the floods would pose a deadly threat, and refused to commit to a timeline of their official response.

Here’s what Kerr County officials said during a news conference this morning:

Death toll: The death toll in Kerr County has risen to 87, up three from yesterday, Sheriff Larry Leitha said. That moves the statewide death toll to at least 108. The 87 dead in Kerr County include 30 children, Leitha said.

Number of missing: At least six people are missing in Kerr County — five Camp Mystic campers and one counselor — Leitha said. When asked for an overall number of people missing in the county, Leitha said: “It’s hard to know that number. I know the numbers that we have found, and that’s all I know.”

Timeline of county’s response unclear: Although the National Weather Service’s first warning for “life-threatening flash flooding” for parts of Kerr County, including Camp Mystic, came at 1:14 a.m. on July 4, Leitha told reporters he was not made aware of the flash floods until “between 4 and 5” that morning.

County officials’ next news conference is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET today, they said.

https://www.cnn.com/weather/live-news/texas-flooding-camp-mystic-07-08-25-hnk

Because it is a falsehood. There is no climate change.

Yes, as flooding, droughts, hurricanes, severe weather events continue to increase, as the evidence rises and sea levels rise, nothing is changing to create such events. That was sarcasm just in case you missed it.

Does the soil taste different that far into the ground?

Up until today, there was supposedly only 20 missing and maybe this would be nearing its end. The Gov of Texas had a press conference this afternoon and said there are still 161 people missing in one county-Kerr

Just Clicking

I've not been able to verify this but I saw serveral posts on a few social media sites that say Paul McCartney is donating $3.5 Million to help the families of those that died in the flood. Kinda cool but I just don't know if it's true.

He might end up donating because he has a history of giving but those clickbait articles are bogus

This is a case where neither side is being truthful, and Trumps propensity to hire idiots comes back to haunt him.

It’s a tragedy. Would a fully staffed weather service helped? Probably. Would fewer people died? Maybe. Could the State of Texas been better prepared for flash flooding in a known flash flood zone? Yes.

Expect another Jaws summer with every weather event having DOGE cuts mentioned. That is the challenge with the blind cuts applied by DOGE. On paper it works, until they are needed. Then the stupidity comes to the top.

DOGE did not sniff the military and they received 150 billion more. Instead of starving children in foreign lands on has to wonder about American lives being saved. That is a tougher call.

No empathy is the same as no brain cells that work when government policy is the subject.

Well, it looked good on paper until reality hits.

This may sound cruel but the real people to blame (besides both the far right, AND far left) are the idiots in this country that keep building stuff right up against the ocean/river/lake/hillside/active volcano/fault line/ etc, etc. What kind of parent sends there kids to a camp in an area known for flash flooding to camp. I am afraid we are already in this time.

But by that rationale everyone living in FL is an idiot. Most of the people living in Oklahoma are idiots. Many on the coast of NC and SC.

Texas lawmakers failed to pass a bill to improve local flood warning systems this year

July 06, 2025 6:23 PM in News - Texas newsSource: texastribune.org
By: TERRI LANGFORD AND CARLOS NOGUERAS RAMOS
https://www.krgv.com/news/texas-law...ve-local-flood-warning-systems-this-year


"Texas lawmakers failed to pass a bill to improve local flood warning systems this year" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

For the last three days, state Rep. Wes Virdell has been out with first responders in Kerr County as they searched for victims and survivors from the devastating floods that swept through Central Texas early Friday morning.

“All the focus right now is let’s save all the lives we can,” Virdell, who was still on the scene in Kerrville, told The Texas Tribune on Sunday.

Virdell’s closeup view of the havoc wreaked on his district has made a lasting impression, he said, and left him reconsidering a vote he made just a few months ago against a bill that would have established a grant program for counties like Kerr to improve the warning systems they use to notify residents of life-threatening disasters.

“I can tell you in hindsight, watching what it takes to deal with a disaster like this, my vote would probably be different now,” the freshman GOP lawmaker said.

The measure, House Bill 13, also would have created a new government body to craft a statewide plan for using emergency equipment. It died in the Texas Senate, prompting newfound questions about whether lawmakers should have done more to help rural, cash-strapped counties stave off the deadly effects of future natural disasters.

As of Sunday evening, at least 79 people had died in the floods. Of those, 68 were in Kerr County, many of them camping or attending a private summer camp along the Guadalupe River.

Virdell, a Hill Country native who lives in Brady, about 100 miles away, made his way to Kerrville early Friday after seeing news that rains raised the Guadalupe more than two feet, swamping its banks in Hunt and other river communities that host thousands of holiday vacationers.

He stressed an alarm system, such as sirens used in tornado-prone Texas counties, may not have helped much in this instance because the floodwaters came so quickly. Between 2 and 7 a.m., the Guadalupe River in Kerrville rose from 1 to more than 34 feet in height, according to a flood gauge in the area.

“I don't think there was enough evidence to even suspect something like this was going to happen,” he said. ”I think even if you had a warning system there, this came in so fast and early in the morning it's very unlikely the warning system would have had much effect.”

Virdell said he doesn’t recall the specifics of the bill or why he opposed it, though he guessed ”it had to do with how much funding” was tied to the measure.

State Rep. Ken King’s HB 13 would have created The Texas Interoperability Council and tasked it with crafting a statewide strategic plan governing the use of emergency equipment and infrastructure. Even if it had passed, it would not have gone into effect until Sept. 1, after the Hill Country flooding.

The bill would have also created a statewide communications network for first responders and provided grants for counties to help pay for improved communications and warning systems, including radio towers. The bill’s initial $500 million cost drew heavy criticism from fellow Republicans including state Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington.

“This shouldn't be about anything other than the fact that it's a half a billion dollars,” Tinderholt, a hardline conservative and budget hawk, said during the April 1 House floor debate. “This is probably one of the most simple votes we should be able to take today. It's that this interoperability council is going to spend money to try and get these departments to be able to talk together.”

Steven Aranyi, a spokesperson for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, noted that lawmakers — including the Texas Senate, which Patrick oversees — made several “unprecedented” investments in disaster response during this year’s legislative session, totaling $547 million. That included:

* $257 million for disaster response aircraft,

* $135 million for regional operation facilities,

* $90 million to provide ambulances to rural counties,

* $65 million for emergency response drone technology.

The flaw with HB 13, Aranyi said, was that it proposed rolling out the local grant money over an estimated timeline of up to 10 years.

“By the time any system was developed, it would be outdated due to advances in technology,” Aranyi said. “The grants in the bill were limited to planning purposes only; they did not support disaster response.”

King, R-Canadian, filed the bill in response to the devastating wildfires last year that engulfed the Panhandle, when more than 1 million acres burned and three people died. King, who lost part of his property in the fires, said he found communication problems as he led the investigative committee last year. King did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

As the disaster quickly unfolded in Kerr County, located in the heart of an area known for flash floods, much has been made of the fact that the county lacked a siren system that counties in other parts of Texas have to alert residents of tornadoes. Such a system has been considered before in Kerr County, but quickly dismissed because the high cost would fall alone on local taxpayers.

A flash flood watch was issued by the National Weather Service by Thursday afternoon for the region. Then, in the middle of the night, at 1:14 a.m. Friday, a flash food warning was issued as possibly “catastrophic,” for Bandera and Kerr Counties, according to the NWS. Those alerts would have automatically triggered Wireless Emergency Alerts on enabled mobile devices, the weather service said.

But because the alerts went out when most residents and visitors were asleep, coupled with the fact that many of those children attending summer camp as well as their counselors were without cell phones, the alerts likely went unheeded by many.

Residents who were up before daylight on Friday 4 reported rain misting by 3 a.m. but nothing out of the ordinary. That changed quickly by 5 a.m. Friday when flooding was detected on roadways in Kerr County.

The flooding reached its peak at around 6:45 a.m. in Kerrville, hours after warnings were first issued, according to the local flood gauge.

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told reporters on Saturday local residents have rejected the idea of a siren system due to its expense when it had been suggested before.

“The public reeled at the cost,” Kelly said.

At a news conference on Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott left the door open to legislation aimed at improving emergency warning systems, but stopped short of saying he would put it on the agenda for lawmakers to consider during the special session he has scheduled to begin July 21.

“It's going to be something that will be looked at,” Abbott said. “The reality also is this, and that is, what's needed in that river basin at that location could be far different than it was needed in some other river basin across the state.”

For now, Virdell said his focus and that of officials in Kerr County is on locating more victims and helping residents. He said the collaboration between local responders and those others coming in from around the state has been “amazing.”

Talk of warning systems and how to improve communications will eventually happen, Virdell said, adding that, right now, the focus needs to be on the immediate community.

“That’s the No. 1 priority for now,” he said.

Trump says NWS staffing levels didn't affect Texas storm preparedness

Rebecca Falconer
Jul 6, 2025 -
Energy & Climate
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/07/trump-nws-texas-flood-warnings-funding-cuts-scrutiny

The Trump administration pushed back Sunday on criticism of the National Weather Service's initial forecasting and its staffing levels ahead of Central Texas' catastrophic flooding.

The big picture: The storm that's killed at least 80 people has brought renewed scrutiny to federal cuts at NOAA's NWS after it emerged that two Texas NWS offices were missing key staff at the time — including San Antonio, where a veteran warning coordination meteorologist has taken an early retirement buyout in April.

Driving the news: Some in the weather community have raised concern about the staffing issues, which Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) said Sunday should be investigated. "I don't think it's helpful to have missing key personnel from the National Weather Service not in place to help prevent these tragedies," he told CNN.

Experts told Axios that forecasting models that failed to predict the severity of rainfall, a lack of an adequate warning system and bad timing in part led to the disaster.

Texas Division of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd noted at a Friday briefing the original forecast "did not predict the amount of rain we saw" and Dalton Rice, the city manager for Kerrville, said the storm system "dumped more rain than what was forecast."

What they're saying: When a reporter asked President Trump whether his administration would investigate if some of the cuts to the federal government left key vacancies at the NWS, he responded: "They did not."

Trump described the situation as "a 100-year catastrophe" that's "so horrible to watch."

Asked later if he thought meteorologists should be rehired, Trump said: "I would think not. This was the thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it. Nobody saw it. Very talented people in there and they didn't see it."

Zoom in: White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson in a statement to outlets including Axios called criticism of the NWS' action and funding cuts accusations "shameful and disgusting" and accused critics of seeking to politicize a disaster.

"False claims about the NWS have been repeatedly debunked by meteorologists, experts, and other public reporting," she said. "The NWS did their job, even issuing a flood watch more than 12 hours in advance."

The Department of Homeland Security posted to X a timeline of the NWS' response that the weather agency had earlier shared with Axios:

A screenshot of a DHS tweet, saying in part:

"The National Weather Service provided over 12 hours of advance notice via the Flood Watch and over 3 hours of lead time for Flash Flood Warnings, with escalated alerts as the storm intensified."

Screenshot: DHS/X

Between the lines: Miami-based meteorologist John Morales said on X the vacancies did not impact the warning process, but may have impacted coordination.

Having five instead of two staffers on as rainfall ramped up is a "pretty common step and well planned" by the local NWS, according to Morales.

"My concern is about the breakdown of what is supposed to be the well oiled warning ➡️ comms ➡️ coordination ➡️ evacuation process," he added.

Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza told Axios the warnings were "meteorologically sound and adequate," but they weren't received by people due to the timing of the storm and because that area didn't have an alert system.

What we're watching: The Trump administration last week proposed cuts and changes to NOAA, including eliminating its Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, which performs and coordinates climate research.

Trump signed an executive order in January aimed at revamping the Federal Emergency Management Agency and has spoken about "getting rid of" FEMA altogether.

When asked Sunday if he still planned to phase out FEMA, Trump told reporters that this matter was "something we can talk about later, but right now, they're busy working, so we'll leave it at that."

Go deeper: Texas tragedy foretells future for warming climate, scientists say

To some extent I tend to agree with you. But I would say that would be more appropriate in areas of massive flooding on a more regular basis or right in a known hurricane zone. From my understanding no flooding to this scale had happened since 1987. And I'm really not quite sure what the far left has to do with flooding and a lack of proper preparedness in middle Texas. Or massive cuts to the NWS. They had nothing to do with that. I don't think we know enough facts to determine all of the things that may have gone wrong here. But could you explain what you think the far left had to do with flooding in Texas?

There's plenty of evidence out there that this is a mostly true statement.

Yep as I would have been growing up in Ohio if I build a house right up against the river when I know it floods.

Sure... as usual I blame the far right and far left for being to stupid and stubborn to come together on compromised on problems instead of acting like 3 year olds threatening to take their ball and go home if others don't do what they want. As for the Parents I would never send my kid to a champ in "Flash Flood Alley"

Flash Flood Alley: Why central Texas has a history of devastating floods
Elyse Smith Image
ByElyse Smith KTRK logo
Tuesday, July 8, 2025 6:31PM

Why central Texas region has earned the nickname 'Flash Flood Alley'

ABC13 Houston 24/7 Live Stream
Watch Eyewitness News and ABC13 originals around the clock

The recent flood of July 4, 2025, is not the first time central Texas has been devastated by a flash flood. This region has earned the nickname "Flash Flood Alley" and is where the phrase "turn around, don't drown" was coined. This is because of the speed and force at which flash flooding occurs there. The increase in life-threatening flash flooding is based on a few key factors: the topography, soil, and changes in how much rain can fall during thunderstorms.

When rain falls across the hills and valleys of central Texas, it then rushes to lower elevations. This is what leads to the speed at which flash flooding can occur and how fast the resulting floodwaters move. As for the ground the rain falls on, beneath the top layer of soil is hard limestone. Think of that like a natural cement, which leads to runoff because it can't absorb the rainwater. And in terms of heavy rain events, those are not only increasing in number but also in intensity.

SEE ALSO: ABC13 meteorologist looks into timeline of weather alerts issued in central Texas flooding

ABC13's partners at Climate Central found that the average amount of rainfall produced by showers and storms near San Antonio has increased by 6% since 1970. And with it also being an extremely flood-prone area, any change in this statistic will lead to an increased risk of flash flooding.

Even so, floods like these in central Texas date back decades. ABC13 Meteorologist Elyse Smith went back and analyzed three previous, deadly floods that impacted this region. Two floods were the result of tropical systems. But the July 1987 Guadalupe Flood has eerie similarities to what just happened last week, including slow-moving storms that dumped heavy rain across the Hill Country. It triggered a massive surge down the Guadalupe River. Also, 10 campers at the Pot O' Gold Christian Camp near Comfort, Texas, were killed in the rushing floodwaters of the 1987 flood.
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READ MORE: Deadly floods at Camp Mystic: How the tragedy compares to a similar event in 1987

Less than 10 years before that flood in 1987, there was flooding from Tropical Storm Amelia, which made landfall near Corpus Christi on July 31, 1978. ABC13 was there in central Texas to capture the aftermath of the storm and subsequent flooding. Once again, the Guadalupe River swelled after a record four feet of rain fell near Medina, Texas. Then, there's a flood that dates all the way back to the 1920s. Remnants of a hurricane in September of 1921 led to extensive flooding near both San Antonio and Austin, a flash flood that killed over 200 people. So as a rule of thumb, central Texas is susceptible to a major flood about once a decade.

Flooding is the second-deadliest weather event behind heat. Climate Central studied the cost of flooding across the country and how much is at stake to lose. Climate Central estimates the average cost of flood disasters across the nation comes to $32 billion a year. For Texas, flooding costs the state $1.5 billion a year, and that number could reach over $2 billion by the year 2050.

Once again, can you please explain to me how what happened in Kerr County Texas has anything to do with the left? They are a republican stronghold. They have Republican politicians running the county. They applied for a grant to install weather warning sirens to help prevent the loss of life to a Republican state government which wasn't approved. The very same thing could be said for the majority of Florida but they seem to have a very good warning service in place to cut down on deaths.

I get that this same situation of people living in places where severe weather events are common exists in both Republican and and Democrat run states but what's the alternative? Tell Americans they can't live close to the water or in severe weather prone states? I certainly don't believe that's what you're advocating here are you?

I think the best we can do is make sure our warning systems and weather service is best equipped to warn people to keep the casualty count as low as possible. That's not what happened here and the left had nothing to do with that.

Everything is always too expensive and not needed until it hits in their backyard-


Texas state leaders didn't prioritize flood management

Nicole Cobler


An aerial shot of the Guadalupe River.
Texas didn't complete a comprehensive statewide assessment of flood risks and solutions until last year. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

As Texas state leaders have prioritized spending on border security and property tax cuts, they have been far more reluctant to fund flood management efforts.

Why it matters: Texas leads the nation by a wide margin in flood deaths.

More than 1,000 people died in Texas floods from 1959 to 2019, according to an academic analysis, most having occurred in the Hill Country.
Local officials in areas like Kerr County have struggled to secure funding for basic warning systems and have instead relied on National Weather Service text alerts and word-of-mouth to alert residents of flooding, rather than costly outdoor siren systems.
Driving the news: Weekend floods in Texas claimed nearly 90 lives, with dozens of people still missing.

The big picture: Despite Texas' vulnerability, the state didn't complete a comprehensive statewide assessment of flood risk and solutions until last year.

"P​​lanning, in the long term, is going to save lives; it's going to protect people; it's going to reduce misery ... not just in monetary costs but also in human suffering," Reem Zoun, the director of flood planning for the Texas Water Development Board, told members of the board last August.
"What we do will not eliminate flooding. If we have large storms, we're still going to flood — but if we work properly and proactively, and have appropriate floodplain management practices, we will see less impact."
By the numbers: Though the Texas Water Development Board has identified more than $54 billion in needed flood-control projects, lawmakers have only allocated roughly $669 million so far, the New York Times reported Monday.

This year, the Legislature approved $2.5 billion for the Texas Water Fund — used to finance water projects in Texas, including conservation, desalination, and flood mitigation — with the possibility of $1 billion per year over 20 years using sales tax revenue, pending voter approval in November.
Lawmakers also passed Senate Bill 1967, expanding projects that can be awarded from the Texas Flood Infrastructure Fund.
One key proposal, House Bill 13, would have created a state council to establish a unified disaster response and alert system, but it stalled in the Senate after some Republican lawmakers questioned its cost.

The bill would have required the council to consider the use of outdoor warning sirens and implement an emergency alert system.

"I can tell you in hindsight, watching what it takes to deal with a disaster like this, my vote would probably be different now," state Rep. Wes Virdell, a Republican who represents Kerr County, told the Texas Tribune.
Zoom in: In the Hill Country, technological and infrastructure barriers have slowed adoption of modern flood alerts.

Kerrville officials explored installing a warning system in 2017 but rejected the idea over its price tag. The county later missed out on a $1 million grant and, as recently as 2023, was still weighing other funding options, according to KXAN.
Outdoor emergency sirens may have given people more time to escape, former Kerr County commissioner Tom Moser told the New York Times, but a single siren can cost as high as $50,000.
What's next: Gov. Greg Abbott suggested Sunday that he'll include the notification issue on the upcoming special session agenda, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said on Fox News Monday that the state should pay for sirens on the Guadalupe River by next summer.

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) said on X Monday he will file a measure "to bring back civil defense sirens" in flash-flood prone areas.

https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2025/07/07/texas-flood-kerr-county-warning-system

just following the playbook


Trump appointees have ties to companies that stand to benefit from privatizing weather forecasts
BRIAN SLODYSKO and MICHAEL BIESECKER
Wed, July 9, 2025 at 7:38 AM EDT
7 min read



President Donald Trump, left, listens as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., Sunday, July 6, 2025, en route to Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
More
WASHINGTON (AP) — As commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick oversees the U.S. government’s vast efforts to monitor and predict the weather.

The billionaire also ran a financial firm, which he recently left in the control of his adult sons, that stands to benefit if President Donald Trump's administration follows through on a decade-long Republican effort to privatize government weather forecasting.

Deadly weekend flooding in central Texas has drawn a spotlight to budget cuts and staff reductions at the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, two agencies housed within the Commerce Department that provide the public with free climate and weather data that can be crucial during natural disasters.


What’s drawn less attention is how the downsizing appears to be part of an effort to privatize the work of such agencies. In several instances, the companies poised to step into the void have deep ties to people tapped by Trump to run weather-related agencies.

Privatization would diminish a central role the federal government has played in weather forecasting since the 1800s, which experts say poses a particular harm for those facing financial strain who may not be able to afford commercial weather data.

The effort also reveals the difficulty that uber wealthy members of Trump's Cabinet have in freeing themselves from conflicts, even if they have met the letter of federal ethics law.

“It’s the most insidious aspect of this: Are we really talking about making weather products available only to those who can afford it?” said Rick Spinrad, who served as NOAA administrator under President Joe Biden, a Democrat. “Basically turning the weather service into a subscription streaming service? As a taxpayer, I don’t want to be in the position of saying, ‘I get a better weather forecast because I’m willing to pay for it.’”


The White House referred requests for comment to the Commerce Department, which said in a statement that Lutnick has "fully complied with the terms of his ethics agreement with respect to divesture and recusals and will continue to do so.”

Trump nominees have ties to weather-related industries

Privatizing weather agencies has long been an aim of Republicans. During Trump's first presidency, he signed a bill that utilized more private weather data. And Project 2025, a proposed blueprint for Trump's second presidency that was co-authored by his budget director, calls for the NOAA to be broken up and for the weather service to “fully commercialize its forecasting operations.”

Lutnick is not the only one Trump nominated for a key post with close relationships to companies involved in the gathering of vital weather data.



Trump’s pick to lead the NOAA, Neil Jacobs, was chief atmospheric scientist for Panasonic Weather Solutions and has been a vocal proponent of privatization. The president’s nominee for another top NOAA post, Taylor Jordan, is a lobbyist with a roster of weather-related clients.



“If confirmed, Dr. Jacobs and Mr. Jordan will follow the law and rely on the advice of the Department’s ethics counsel in addressing matters involving former clients,” the Commerce Department said in its statement.

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who spent more than $250 million to help elect Trump, owns a controlling interest in SpaceX and its satellite subsidiary Starlink. Both are regulated by the NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce, which lost about one-third of its staff in February layoffs facilitated by the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk helped create.

SpaceX also stands to gain through a new generation of private and federally funded weather satellites that would be carried into orbit on its rockets.

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Though Musk has now departed Washington and had a very public falling out with Trump, the DOGE staffers he hired and the cuts he pushed for have largely remained in place.

Emails seeking comment sent to a lawyer who has represented Musk, as well as to media contacts at his companies X and SpaceX, received no response.

While Musk is focusing on his companies, others with potential conflicts remain immersed in government work.


His two 20-something sons were given the reins of his financial empire. Brandon Lutnick was named chairman of Cantor, while Kyle Lutnick was tapped to be executive vice chairman. But his most recent ethics filing from June 19 stated that he was still selling his holdings in the firm.

An ethics plan submitted in February states Lutnick would request a waiver allowing him to participate in matters that would have a “direct and predictable effect” on his family’s business while he was still divesting. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, meanwhile, show Lutnick has agreements to transfer his shares in the Cantor companies and a family trust to his son Brandon.

The Department of Commerce referred questions about Lutnick's ties to Satellogic, a satellite company that offers natural disaster imagery, to his former firm.

Cantor spokesperson Erica Chase said that since Lutnick’s resignation from the company, he has not made any decisions with respect to the company’s investments or customer positions, or other operational matters.


“Cantor and its subsidiaries operate in heavily regulated industries, and maintain robust compliance programs to ensure compliance with all applicable laws,” Chase said.

Federal officials are barred from making decisions that benefit the business holdings of themselves or their spouses, but that prohibition does not extend to assets held by their adult children, according to Richard Painter, who served as the chief White House ethics lawyer during Republican George W. Bush's administration.

Among its legion of disparate businesses, Cantor has interests in weather and climate. It owns a controlling interest in BGC Group, which operates a weather derivatives marketplace that essentially allows investors to bet on climate risk and where hurricanes will make landfall.

Lutnick also played a pivotal role in cultivating Satellogic. He helped raise the capital to take the company public and held a seat on its board until Trump nominated him. Cantor holds a roughly 13% stake in Satellogic, according to a March SEC filing.


The company now bills itself as an emerging federal contractor that can offer crisp images of natural disasters and weather events in real time, which in 2021 Lutnick said makes it “uniquely positioned to dominate the Earth Observation industry.”

While Lutnick was still in charge of Cantor, it paid a $6.75 million fine to the SEC after it was accused of making misleading statements to investors about Satellogic and another company. The White House’s 2026 spending plan, developed by Trump’s budget director and primary Project 2025 architect Russell Vought, proposes $8 billion in cuts for future NOAA satellites, which capture imagery of the planet provided to the public.

Satellogic stands to benefit if the government retreats from operating climate-monitoring satellites.

2 Trump nominees have ties to weather companies


Jacobs, Trump’s pick to lead the NOAA, led the same agency on an acting basis during Trump’s first term.

He is scheduled to appear Wednesday before a Senate committee weighing his nomination. Jacobs has long advocated for a greater role for the private sector in government weather forecasting. During a 2023 hearing focused on the future of the NOAA, he argued that the agency needed to be “relying more heavily on the commercial sector.”

He also has expressed concerns about what happens to commercial data purchased by the government. “They give it away to the rest of the planet for free,” he testified before Congress in 2023.

He was a consultant at the time for Spire Global and Lynker, both of which have millions of dollars in weather data contracts with the NOAA, according to records including his most recent financial disclosure.

Jordan, Trump’s pick for another top NOAA post, has similarly close relationships. His financial disclosure lists more than a dozen weather-related lobbying clients, including Spire and Lynker. He also represented AccuWeather, a commercial forecast provider, before Congress and in meetings with the Commerce Department on “issues related to private sector weather forecast improvement,” according to lobbying disclosures.

Though his nomination is pending before the Republican-controlled Senate, disclosure reports show he still represents weather and space companies and is still listed as a principal employee at a Washington lobbying firm.

Unreal- the TRUMP effort to downsize the US Gov. Weather Service is an effort to hand off the Weather
Service to Republican supporters who helped Trump get elected.

All of the drowning dealths were simply a Trump/Republican payback to rich donors who helped elect Trump..nothing but campaign give backs..

I hope the named greedy sleep well tonight...

They always do mac. They always do. Their minds tend to function just a little differently than the rest of us. Most of us count sheep when we have trouble sleeping while they simply count their money.

Just imagine, we even have one of our very own posters who states that he thinks spending just to keep children from starving is a waste of money but refuses to say a peep about giving oil companies more in taxpayer subsidies. Who could have imagined?

Ladies and Gentlemen.... WE have a celebrated Climatologist in our group.World renowned for his insight and wisdom. He knows all, sees all and is without a doubt the preeminent authority on Climate. He says, there is no climate change and everyone else in the world is wrong.

"Trump says NWS staffing levels didn't affect Texas storm preparedness"

Trump also said they are eating the cats and eating the dogs in Springfield Ohio...

He also tried to blame Biden... Then said he wouldn't blame Biden... All in the same sentence. He'll blame Biden if it meets a goal of his. If he thinks it will help him, you can bet Biden will be blamed.

So I wonder about those laws about building structures in flood plains?

It is as much of a building code issue as it is an Emergency Response Notification issue.

Washington
CNN
—
As monstrous floodwaters surged across central Texas late last week, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency leapt into action, preparing to deploy critical search and rescue teams and life-saving resources, like they have in countless past disasters.

But almost instantly, FEMA ran into bureaucratic obstacles, four officials inside the agency told CNN.

As CNN has previously reported, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — whose department oversees FEMA — recently enacted a sweeping rule aimed at cutting spending: Every contract and grant over $100,000 now requires her personal sign-off before any funds can be released.

For FEMA, where disaster response costs routinely soar into the billions as the agency contracts with on-the-ground crews, officials say that threshold is essentially “pennies,” requiring sign-off for relatively small expenditures.

In essence, they say the order has stripped the agency of much of its autonomy at the very moment its help is needed most.

“We were operating under a clear set of guidance: lean forward, be prepared, anticipate what the state needs, and be ready to deliver it,” a longtime FEMA official told CNN. “That is not as clear of an intent for us at the moment.”

For example, as central Texas towns were submerged in rising waters, FEMA officials realized they couldn’t pre-position Urban Search and Rescue crews from a network of teams stationed regionally across the country.



In the past, FEMA would have swiftly staged these teams, which are specifically trained for situations including catastrophic floods, closer to a disaster zone in anticipation of urgent requests, multiple agency sources told CNN.

But even as Texas rescue crews raced to save lives, FEMA officials realized they needed Noem’s approval before sending those additional assets. Noem didn’t authorize FEMA’s deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams until Monday, more than 72 hours after the flooding began, multiple sources told CNN.

Homeland Security officials have defended the federal response in Texas and President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle FEMA and shift more responsibility for disaster response to states.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for DHS, told CNN: “FEMA is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens. The old processes are being replaced because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades.”

One Texas state official told CNN that the Texas emergency management division has been interacting with FEMA “in the way we always do for disasters like this.” The official added that Texas has “quite a bit of capabilities” related to disaster management on its own.

Other aspects of the federal government have assisted, including the US Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection.

But the additional red tape required at FEMA added another hurdle to getting critical federal resources deployed when hours counted.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference where she announced that most airline passengers will no longer have to remove their shoes at security checkpoints on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at Reagan National Airport in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference where she announced that most airline passengers will no longer have to remove their shoes at security checkpoints on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at Reagan National Airport in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Texas did request aerial imagery from FEMA to aid search and rescue operations, a source told CNN, but that was delayed as it awaited Noem’s approval for the necessary contract.

FEMA staff have also been answering phones at a disaster call center, where, according to one agency official, callers have faced longer wait times as the agency awaited Noem’s approval for a contract to bring in additional support staff.

The chaos has exposed a deeper uncertainty within FEMA about its ability to respond, its mission, and its authority under the Trump administration — just as hurricane and wildfire seasons have gotten underway. Officials within FEMA warn that if the disaster had spanned a larger area and multiple states, the confusion and delays could have been even more severe.

For months, FEMA officials have been warning that the agency is unprepared amid a mass exodus of experienced emergency managers and the looming threat of the agency being dismantled.



CNN has reached out to FEMA for comment.

Rest of article at link

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/politics/fema-texas-flood-noem

Rain is the only thing that had anything to do with the flooding. The deaths, maybe something could have helped.

The NWS did what they could. Doge didn't hurt that.

Locals some years back could have voted for a siren type system but voted if down.

In insurance terms, not religious terms, It was an act of God. Like it or not, and these are just general comments and not so much directed at you, we can't protect everybody from everything. This flooding was historic in nature, ever for a flash flood prone area.

I don't know if sirens would work. Maybe. My thinking is the camps in that area need to hire off duty county sheriff deputies for nighttime security and to alert people of the warning as they come over the radio.

Sure right after you explain why nobody here has complained one time that it was both stupid and reckless to send your children to a camp that is known for flash floods and killing people. What's next Should we blame drivers if people send their kids out to play on the freeway and they get hit? Are you really going to say you would have sent your own kids or grandkids to THAT camp?


So which side is to blame for all the floods in "Flash Flood Ally"

I want to preface that I'm not so much trying to argue what you said, but moreso trying to make a point.


These two sentences can be quantitatively verified (especially the second part). That would require quite a bit of analysis into the timeline of the rains/flooding, NWS's responsibility and capabilities before and after the cuts, and a fact-based projection on how the funding cuts eroded NWS's capabilities that were relevant to their responsibilities in this situation.

The ironic part is that the analysis that I laid out above would be FAR more than the thought/planning that went into the NWS cuts via DOGE. The DOGE criticism here is reasonable/valid until proven otherwise.

I hope you made the same post about the fires in LA and the Dems controlling everything there.

You made the assertion that both the right and left were to blame for what happened here. Yet when asked to explain that you try to answer that question with another question. And in case you missed it, nobody is to blame for the flooding. But you ignored the part where I said someone is to blame for not having a warning system in place that could ave saved many lives.

All you seem to have in response is "Well if they hadn't sent their kids there in the first place."

Lots of people live in that same area. They have homes and families. And if you had bothered to check there are camps and RV parks dotted all along that same river.

So who was responsible for setting up a warning system to help save lives? Let me give you a clue here. It wasn't the left. You have made an accusation here that is false and you can't back up. But I will say you still have the ability to dance around that well.

There is no "maybe" here.


While I don't think all of the facts are yet known that appears to be the case at this point.


Have you been following this story at all? The "local" government didn't have the funds to pay for it. It was the counsel who made that decision, not the voters. They applied for a grant from the state to pay for it but were turned down.


What warnings on the radio? Even the mayor didn't get the text alert to tell him this was coming. "You can't protect everybody from everything" in this case is nothing more than a cheap excuse for doing very little to protect people. What happened to the accountability you used to claim was important to you?

Federal Ownership: 57%
The federal government, primarily through the U.S. Forest Service, controls roughly 19 million acres of California's 33 million acres of forestland.
State Ownership: 3%
The state government manages about 1 million acres, or 3% of the total forestland.
Private Ownership:
The remaining 40% is owned by private entities, including individuals, timber companies, and Native American tribes

Kerr County officials waited 90 minutes to send emergency alert after requested, dispatch audio shows
Kerr County's CodeRED emergency system was first introduced in 2014.

ByMaia Rosenfeld , Jared Kofsky, and Laura Romero
July 10, 2025, 5:26 AM





3:57
New questions about emergency response in Texas after floodingNewly released audio from the moments the deadly flash flooding in Texas Hill Country suggests critical real-time delays in warning the most vulnerable communities.
At 4:22 a.m. on Friday, as Texas' Hill Country began to flood, a firefighter in Ingram – just upstream from Kerrville – asked the Kerr County Sheriff's Office to alert nearby residents, according to audio obtained by ABC affiliate KSAT. But Kerr County officials took nearly six hours to heed this call.

"The Guadalupe Schumacher sign is underwater on State Highway 39," the firefighter said in the dispatch audio. "Is there any way we can send a CodeRED out to our Hunt residents, asking them to find higher ground or stay home?"

"Stand by, we have to get that approved with our supervisor," a Kerr County Sheriff's Office dispatcher replied.


A bus is seen on its side near a damaged building along the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area, July 5, 2025, in Hunt, Texas.
Julio Cortez/AP
The first alert didn't come through Kerr County's CodeRED system until 90 minutes later. Some messages didn't arrive until after 10 a.m. By then, hundreds of people had been swept away by the floodwaters.

MORE: Texas flooding live updates: 95 dead in Kerr County, at least 120 dead in the state
Kerr County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At a Wednesday morning press conference, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha declined to answer a question about delayed emergency alerts, saying that an "after-action" would follow the search and rescue efforts.

"Those questions are gonna be answered," he added.

Records show Kerr County's CodeRED Emergency Notification System, which alerts subscribers to emergencies through pre-recorded phone messages, has been in place for at least a decade.


People view damage along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, July 5, 2025.
Dustin Safranek/EPA via Shutterstock
When CodeRED was first introduced by Kerr County and the City of Kerrville in 2014, a government press release claimed it could "notify the entire City / County about emergency situations in a matter of minutes."

CodeRED relied on the local white pages for users' contact information, the announcement explained, so "no one should assume his or her number is included." Residents had to sign up to ensure they would receive alerts.


In 2021, Kerr County incorporated FEMA's Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) into CodeRED, so that messages could reach tourists and others not in the local database. The IPAWS system allows local officials to broadcast emergency messages and send text blasts to all phones in the area.

At the time, some county officials weren't sure about the change.


"What's the benefit?" Kerr County Commissioner Jonathan Letz asked at a May 2021 commissioners' meeting.

MORE: Texas flooding victims: From young campers to a dad saving his family, what we know about the lives lost
"It's just another avenue for us to notify people when we have an emergency," replied Emergency Management Coordinator William "Dub" Thomas.

Then-Commissioner Harley David Belew voted against adding IPAWS to the CodeRED system after noting that it would require switching out the county's equipment, which he said he'd done recently because of a federal policy change a few years earlier.


"I don't think it's going to change anything," Belew said.

Despite these doubts, Kerr County began using IPAWS alongside its CodeRED system in 2021.

When the area flooded on Friday, Ingram City Council Member Ray Howard told ABC News he got three flash flood alerts from the National Weather Service, but none from Kerr County authorities.

On Monday, Belew went on The Michael Berry Show to discuss the catastrophic flooding. On the show, he said Kerr County Commissioners had considered putting in an early warning system years earlier, but that there weren't enough cell towers to reach rural parts of the county, "so that idea was scrapped."

Records show that the topic of a flood warning system for Kerr County came up in at least 20 different county commissioners' meetings since it was first introduced in 2016 – months before Belew joined the Court.


Belew explained on the radio show that funding for a warning system was also a barrier to implementation, echoing issues he raised at the time, according to meeting minutes.

But even after last week's tragic flooding, Belew expressed concern over spending on such a system: "God only knows what's going to happen, what kind of government waste we might get going into an alert system," he said on Monday's segment.

"But if we can get any early alert system for the future, that'd give people some peace of mind here," Belew added. "It's always been needed."


https://abcnews.go.com/US/kerr-county-officials-waited-90-minutes-send-emergency/story?id=123631023

Yet you didn't answer my question.

Why would they delay help? We are talking about Christian Children for the most part. So why delay?

I don't have an answer and maybe they don't either...
I saw an interview yesterday with the guy that helped develop the CodeRed system about 10 years ago and he said that he did not get an alert when the event happened. He did not get an alert for 6 hours. And yes, he still lives in the county.

also heard on the way home from work yesterday that some of the local authorities are no longer showing up at pressers and others are not addressing questions about responsibility.

Perfect example as to why you can't push this back to the state and local authorities.. not that Noem waiting for 3 days to position assets helped much either

and who was to blame in 1987, or 1978 or 1921???

Look right now the far right is in control in Texas and is to blame IMO for no early warning. The parents also should have never sent their children to a Camp located in "Flash flood ally"

Camp Mystic opened in 1926. People have been sending their children there for 99 years now. Can you show me where at any time in the past the flooding rose to the level that Camp Mystic was flooded to the point it was catastrophic and it resulted in children dying? All I managed to find was that there was some flooding of some cabins in 1987 but nothing to indicate anyone was washed away or flood waters killed anyone.

So why is it you think parents would be so concerned sending their children to a camp where no child has died in 99 years? It seems to me you're trying to lay the blame on the wrong people here.

Every Texan in that meeting should be discussed with the moron in chief and his wife wearing hats in doors. So disrespectful on every level.

The lives lost are 100% on Trump and his pet gnome.

Psst The Dems were in charge in 1921, 1978, and 1987 so by your standards they are to blame for all the floods before this one.

Here is the first sentence from your own source right below the headline.............


And here is what happened there in 1987 according to your own source.......


Once again, your own source shows that no deaths or major injuries ever happened at Camp Mystic over its 98 year history due to flooding. Nobody died while "the dems were in charge". And it wasn't "then dems" who refused to approve funding for a warning system either. So just stop it. No matter how you try to spin it, this community couldn't afford a warning system. They requested help paying for a warning system that the Republican legislature of the state refused to fund. Now 120+ people are dead and 160+ are missing. NOTHING like this had happened in the 98 years this camp had been open. Those are the facts.

These are the facts yet you hold "the dems", who had nothing to with refusing to fund a system that in all likelihood would have saved many lives but also the parents when there's nearly a 100 record of no children being harmed at the camp due to any flooding.


Not broke records but "shattered them". I suppose parents should have known that a historical flood that shattered all previous records was going to happen. After all it was a Christian camp, am I right?

Not a single thing in your article disputes anything in my post. Not one.