There are already 80 deaths in Texas because of the severe flooding. People are already blaming each other. One reason is that President Donald Trump cut the National Weather Service’s budget earlier this year, which he doesn’t agree with. Donald Trump suggested at the airport in New Jersey that the “Biden setup” might be to blame.
Officials in Texas claimed that the devastating floods in the Guadalupe River have killed more than 80 people. In just 45 minutes, the river rose 26 feet. The Fourth of July weekend flood had a big effect on Camp Mystic, a summer camp for Christian girls. The camp has officially said that at least 27 campers and counselors have died.
“Our hearts are broken with those of our families who are going through this terrible tragedy.” “We are praying for them all the time,” the camp declared on their website. They also said they are still seeking for the “missing girls” and are in touch with the police.
They say they are in touch with local leaders who are still hunting for “missing girls.”
Please keep praying for, respecting, and giving privacy to all the families who have been affected. “May the Lord continue to wrap His presence around all of us” was the last thing the message said.
The flooding turned into the worst-case scenario, with four months’ worth of rain falling in only a few hours. There is already a fight over who is to blame and why they weren’t warned, but they are still missing. Some Texas officials argued that the National Weather Service didn’t do a good job of warning residents about the storm’s threat or how much rain it would deliver.
Before the disastrous flooding in Texas, the meteorologist remarked, “forecasting was good.”
CNN reports that Texas Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd said at a news conference on Friday, “The original forecast that we received on Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3 to 6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4 to 8 inches of rain in the Hill Country.” But none of those predictions were right about how much rain would fall in this exact spot.
CNN spoke with a former NWS official and independent meteorologists who said that the warnings that were given before the flooding were as accurate as they could have been based on the real-time water data that was available. The experts also said that it’s hard to predict flash floods and heavy rain, so it’s hard to make sure that warnings go to the people who need them most.
“The forecasts came true. The warnings were useful. Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist from Wisconsin, told CNN, “It’s always about getting people to understand the message.” “That last mile” seems to be one of the most important things.
Tom Fahy, who is in charge of making laws for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, a union for government workers, claimed that the weather office in San Antonio did not have anybody in charge of the two most important jobs. They needed a fulltime science officer to teach personnel and put new technology into use, as well as a warning coordination meteorologist to work with the media and public office.
Donald Trump says that the flooding disaster was not caused by cuts to the federal budget.
Fahy, on the other hand, maintained that there were enough meteorologists in offices to respond fast.
He said, “The WFOs [weather forecasting offices] had enough staff and resources because they made timely forecasts and warnings before the storm.” He also said he was worried that the two higher-up positions weren’t filled.
In early 2018, Donald Trump and his administration, with Elon Musk in command of DOGE, decided to let go of or retire roughly 600 people from the National Weather Service. The investigation will find out if that could have been a reason for the awful thing that happened in Texas. But the President of the United States declared it wasn’t true.
At an airport in New Jersey, Trump told reporters that Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, will stay in Texas. He also remarked, “We’re working very closely” with those in Texas. The president might not go to the spot himself.
Donald Trump thinks that NWS was a “Biden setup.”
When asked if he would look into whether changes to the federal government left unfilled posts at the National Weather Service or in emergency coordination, Trump brought up former President Joe Biden.
“They didn’t.” If you look at it, I’ll tell you how bad it all is. It was actually Biden’s plan, not ours. But I wouldn’t blame Biden for it either. “This is a 100-year disaster, and it’s just so horrible to watch,” Donald Trump said.
The president also claimed that he doesn’t know if the NWS needs to hire more weather experts.
“This was the thing that happened in a matter of seconds.” Nobody thought it would happen, and nobody saw it. He said there are a lot of talented people there, but they didn’t see it.
Please pray for the victims and their families during this awful time.