Posted on 07/05/2025 5:11:08 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
A slow-moving storm that dumped more than a foot of rain in the Texas Hill Country has killed 27 people, with dozens more missing, and officials are saying they weren’t prepared because the National Weather Service got the forecast wrong.
Wonder if Donald Trump and Elon Musk laying off 600 National Weather Service staffers earlier this year could have had anything to do with that?
…Deadly flash floods are, unfortunately, not uncommon – 10 teens at a summer camp died during a flash-flood event from a storm that dumped 11 inches of rain in Kerrville in 1987, and 13 people died in flooding from a six-inch rainstorm in San Antonio just three weeks ago.
Which is to say, there’s a reason Texas Hill Country is also known as Flash Flood Alley.
…On the meteorologists, the National Weather Service isn’t talking, but you do have to wonder how much the mass layoffs ordered by DOGE, in line with the Project 2025 plan to dismantle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has eroded the ability of the NWS to keep on top of things.
The bulk of the staffers let go were specialized climate scientists and weather forecasters, and an internal document obtained by The New York Times warned that the agency was on the verge of offering “degraded” forecasting services because it was facing “severe shortages” of meteorologists.
In May, five past directors of the National Weather Service issued a letter warning that Trump’s cuts “leave the nation’s official weather forecasting entity at a significant deficit, just as we head into the busiest time for severe storm predictions like tornadoes and hurricanes.”
“Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life,” the directors wrote in that letter.
(Excerpt) Read more at augustafreepress.com ...
Personally, based on what people I have known have endured in Texas natural disaster wise, in the recent past..It seems to be a state government incompetence or willfull negligence thing…playing at least some part. And it is important that partisanship not blind anyone to that.
Yep. I’m just a tad north of the really badly hit areas and flash flood watches went out here starting Friday. The lefties are lying again when they say there were no warnings.
This is all heartbreaking enough. Leave it to the lefties to start pointing fingers right from the get-go.
“However, as it was pointed out, whenever there is a natural disaster you can count on Texas to fail.”
Wow.
I live in Texas and because I survived the New York Ice storm of 1979 with. O electricity for two weeks in sub zero, I have a working fireplace. Saved me during the Texas ice storm of 2021
I didn’t expect the government to save me We had single digits and precipitation below freezing for 4 days You think getting mad at the government for not acting like a good parent is going to solve that?
I
The idea that Trump could be blamed came before anything else. Then the edifice of guilt was built.
GROK seems to have gone more left after Elon bust up with Trump
Having more fun with your anti Trump crap-posting I see
In the spirit of Federalism then, what exactly is the role of state and local authorities with regard to natural disasters then? Especially concerning young girls away at camp?! Or disabled veterans and seniors, or folks on oxygen?
Don’t you just hate people that use a tragedy to push their political agenda.
“ Especially concerning young girls away at camp”
you tell me
Maybe I should have posted a disclaimer. I don’t think it’s Trump’s fault or Weather Service. However the GOP in TX does have shortcomings when it comes to managing these things. Need to learn from DeSantis.
Managing power grids, natural gas reserves, emergency alert systems, rescue plans…
No. 1987. Reagan’s fault. /s
“”Perhaps finding a better location for a children’s camp than a flood prone area?””
It has been there for 100 years and, to my knowledge, has never had this level of a flooding problem prior to July 4, 2025. But I’m seeing a couple of reasons that the Deep State ghouls aren’t too awfully sad about this tragedy. One, they can now gleefully blame Trump via the DOGE cuts... and they already are doing just that. Two, the camp was known for having the kids of Republican elites (rich kids/girls), the kids of their opponents, summer there for decades.
If that sounds a bit harsh, you have to remember who and what the leftist Democrats really are. Human life means nothing to them, as they have proven over and above board. I also think that Hunt, Texas has been a “hangout” city for certain intel agency personnel. Can’t prove it, though. Just something spread by word of mouth and rumor.
Do you know for a fact cell service was available at that location? I've been to many places out in that gigantic expanse of the American West where cellular signals have never impinged.
Agreed. There is no way to predict when a storm will stall over the over an area.
“Managing power grids, natural gas reserves, emergency alert systems, rescue plans…”
Kindly - please describe exactly how these would have helped
We’re talking about the subject of the article- blaming the lack of government, cuts by DOGe and the comment that Texas screws up
“The two Texas offices “had adequate staffing and resources as they issued timely forecasts and warnings leading up to the storm,” said Tom Fahy, legislative director for the union. Both issued flood watches during the day Thursday, “well in advance,” Fahy said, and reacted quickly in the early morning hours Friday by issuing warnings that sent alerts to cellphones in the path of floodwaters.
At the office covering the San Antonio and Austin regions, which took the lead on warnings of devastating flooding across Kerr County, northwest of San Antonio, there are two vacancies on a staff of meteorologists that would normally number 13, according to the National Weather Service Employees Organization.
The office is also without two of its top managers, including one position known as warning coordination meteorologist. The person in that role is responsible for improving public awareness around severe weather warnings, including flash flood warnings.
The forecast office in San Angelo, about 180 miles northwest of Austin, is operating without a meteorologist in charge, the top official in any forecasting office, and with one staff meteorologist vacancy out of a team that would normally number 13.”
See article at link for source of the above:
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4327046/posts
That area along the banks of the river is incredibly beautiful, useful for people, and a place that’s perfect for a summer camp. It’s that way for decades at a time. The area doesn’t need to be run away from. Just a little bit of modern technology combined with a warning system could make it as safe as anywhere.
A satcom flood gauge every 5 miles combined with warning sirens in populated areas would be cheap and effective. 99.5% of the time that river is beautiful, and people want to use it. And they should be able to. Of all of the useless garbage they spend money on, this would be a no-brainer.
Especially on one that can get 30 feet deep. Faster than you can run.
Biden’s low-tech NWS had a lot more to do with it.
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