quasi Report This Comment
Date: July 07, 2025 12:10PM

Just a moment ago the local news here reported there are 82 dead now.

quasi Report This Comment
Date: July 08, 2025 12:00PM

Now over 100 deaths.

pro_junior Report This Comment
Date: July 08, 2025 09:21PM

Hard to believe people want to use a NATURAL DISASTER and the tragedy of death for political bullshit...
I guess I should be used to it by now, but I'm not.

as per Grok:

Adequate Warnings Issued: Independent meteorologists, such as Matt Lanza and Chris Vagasky, and former NWS officials, like Alan Gerard, assert that the NWS issued timely and accurate warnings. A flood watch was issued Thursday afternoon, July 3, followed by flash flood warnings that night and early Friday, July 4, with lead times of over three hours. The Austin/San Antonio office had extra staff (five instead of two) on duty, and weather balloon launches at Del Rio, near the flood epicenter, occurred as planned.

Unpredictable Storm Severity: Experts note that the storm, fueled by Tropical Storm Barry’s remnants, was exceptionally difficult to predict due to its localized, extreme rainfall—up to 12 inches in hours, far exceeding the forecasted 3-8 inches. Quantitative precipitation forecasting remains a challenge, and no evidence suggests staffing issues directly caused the underestimation.

Local Factors: Some blame lies with local officials and camp management for not evacuating despite warnings, possibly due to desensitization to frequent flood alerts or poor communication. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly and Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd noted the unexpected severity, and a delay in public warnings (e.g., Kerrville’s Facebook post at 5 a.m.) may have compounded the issue.

Trump Administration’s Defense: The White House called accusations linking cuts to deaths “shameful and disgusting,” emphasizing that the NWS performed its duties. President Trump dismissed the need for additional staff, labeling the flood a “once-in-a-100-years” event.

While staffing shortages and reduced monitoring raise concerns about NWS capacity, experts widely agree the agency’s forecasts and warnings for this event were as accurate as possible given the storm’s unpredictability. The proposed 2026 NOAA budget cuts, which would further limit research, were not yet in effect, so their impact is speculative. However, vacancies in key roles may have strained coordination with local officials, potentially exacerbating communication breakdowns. Local factors, like delayed public alerts and failure to evacuate a known floodplain, likely played a larger role than NWS performance. The political divide—Democrats emphasizing cuts, Republicans dismissing them as irrelevant—clouds objective assessment, with both sides leveraging the tragedy for

No definitive evidence proves that NWS budget cuts directly caused the Texas flood deaths. The NWS issued timely warnings, but staffing vacancies and local response failures may have contributed to the outcome. Future cuts could worsen forecasting capabilities, but this event highlights broader issues in emergency preparedness and communication. For more details, see sources like The Guardian or NOAA’s budget proposals.