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.
Quote
"The people in Texas voted for government services controlled by Donald Trump and Greg Abbott," added Ron Filipkowski, former federal prosecutor and the editor-in-chief of MediasTouchNews. "That is exactly what they (sic) getting."
"What has happened to the girls at Camp Mystic is EXACTLY what one of the country's best meteorologists, John Morales, warned would happen," added Rachel Bitecofer, assistant director at Christopher Newport University's Wason Center for Public Policy. "Trump's cuts to the NOAA & NWS have critically impacted storm prediction nationwide."
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.
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.
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.
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.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson.
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."
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.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
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.
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.
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.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
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.
"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.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
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 !
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.”
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 !
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.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
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 !
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.
So you only get upset if Trump and his minions get blamed? Is that it? Are you aware that Trump already blamed Biden?
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
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 !
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.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
According to the news tonight, when you get 16 to 20 inches of rain.............yes, flooding will occur, regardless of who is president.
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.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
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 !
deis...NO, "SHAME ON YOU" FOR attempting to ignore this tragic event with the death toll now well over 100. Many of the dead are girls and young folks who sent to camp with parents believing their family would be safe.
The news in this thread has been the #1 topic of discussion in this country and around the world for days and you want to damn me for posting it here on 7/7 even though the event occurred on 4/4. I intentionally waited for someone else to post this topic...but none of you other folks thought 100 dead/drowned kids, counselers and adults was a WORTHY TOPPIC OF DISCUSSION .
The dumbasses who ignored the threats and the possibilities of what could happen if Trumps Federal Government cut the manning, resources the staffing levels of the Weather Service and NOAA in an area appropriately named FLASH FLOOD ALLEY.
Did Trump or any of minions ask the question..what could happen if and when we make these cuts to the National Weather Servic and NOAA, especially in the area of central Texas..?
Even worse, did anyone in the Texas Government speak up and tell Trump what could happen if the GOP made their staff cuts to those in the weather service who work in Flash Flood Alley. Gov. Abbott and his GOP staff surely knew the history of Flash Flooding in and around Kerr County Texas... and they were silent about the potential threat people in that area could be in if the ramifications of Trumps Weather Service and NOAA staff cuts occurred followed by a flash flood.
Some folks are always thinking ahead, asking "WHAT IF" we do this...
...others might look at the same situation and say "OOPS"...someone elses loved one drowned...too bad, but nothing we could do about it.
One last thing deisle...I even chose a FOX NEWS source for the article I posted so I would not get crazy responses claiming that I was using bias sources...look at you now..!!
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.
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.
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.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/small-gator-chomp.gif)