Did Trump's cuts to NOAA and the National Weather Service impact predicting the flash floods in central Texas?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read on twitter somewhere (don't have a link) that the county opted out of federal alerts. Don't know how true that it, but I did read it yesterday. I also read that campers along that same river, from different camps, died in 1979 and 1987...they even made a movie about one of the incidents. This is the third time it's happened in 50 years....I'm surprised these camps have not moved to a safer location. My own son went to a camp where his cabin was pretty much on a river bank. I shudder to think about it now. Cabins should never be located so close to rivers, especially when the counselors themselves are usually young themselves and inexperienced with weather events like these. Just a shame all the way around.

This is what happens when you don’t invest or fund infrastructure warning systems.

And funny how the Republicans/MAGAs do not want to discuss these problems and want to make it analyzing what the he$$ went wrong an offensive act.

It’s the republican playbook. When they were cutting funding, they denied there would be any impacts. They claimed democrats were hysterical when they warned people would die. And then when the predictable consequences happen, they deny they are connected to their decisions.

They are running the same playbook with Medicaid. They’re claiming the cuts will have no effects. No one will lose healthcare! And then when they do, they’ll deny there’s any connection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am only seeing British and Canadian news updates about the awful incident. How’s the mainstream American media reporting what is going on? It’s horrific that the death toll is now over 100.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/jul/07/texas-floods-rescue-teams-search-missing-more-heavy-rains-forecast-latest-news-updates?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Are you able to google?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/north-texas-girls-among-dead-camp-mystic-attendees-after-deadly-central-texas-floods/ar-AA1HZP4p?ocid=BingNewsSerp
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/camp-mystic-counselor-who-died-in-texas-flooding-remembered-as-loyal-and-beloved/ar-AA1I51Hx?ocid=BingNewsSerp

I can see that link. This was from the Guardian as well, but it does not tell this story.

Floods were 'an act of God ... it's not the administration's fault,' says White House
Karoline Leavitt again conflated concerns over whether adequate warnings were sent out to people soon enough (most of the alerts were sent in the middle of the night while people were sleeping) with accusing the administration of responsibility for the flooding.

“The alerts were sent out before the flood when people were sleeping because the flood hit in the very early hours of the morning,” said Leavitt.

“People were sleeping in the middle of the night when the flood came. That was an act of God; it’s not the administration’s fault the floods hit when it did,” she went on, before insisting that “there were early and consistent warnings”.

There have been a number of questions raised over whether the flood alerts were sent quickly and widely enough, and if Donald Trump’s job cuts hampered the National Weather Service.

[Anonymous]

Biden gave this area $5M in 2021 to help address the very issues that contributed to this tragedy and the folks on the ground there didn't want to spend it on the intended use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Biden gave this area $5M in 2021 to help address the very issues that contributed to this tragedy and the folks on the ground there didn't want to spend it on the intended use.

That’s because Abbott wanted to use those monies to send migrants to Nantucket to own the libs.

[Anonymous]

Over 100 dead now and many still missing. This is the result of MAGA governance. When you keep cutting taxes, people die.


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.

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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Over 100 dead now and many still missing. This is the result of MAGA governance. When you keep cutting taxes, people die.


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.

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

Yup, some serious incompetence/recklessness/stupidity from the Republican side contributing to the loss of lives in Texas.

Trump Looks to Avoid Casting Blame in Texas Flood as Democrats Question Cuts
The White House rebuked critics for raising questions about the administration’s efforts to shrink federal agencies that deal with disaster preparedness and response.

When a hurricane hit North Carolina last year, Donald J. Trump claimed without evidence that the Biden administration was avoiding helping residents in Republican areas. When wildfires burned through Los Angeles earlier this year, Mr. Trump excoriated local and state Democrats for the calamity, making false assertions about water use policy.

But after a catastrophic flood that tore through Texas last week, leaving at least 100 dead, Mr. Trump cautioned against casting blame.

“This is a hundred-year catastrophe, and it’s just so horrible to watch,” the president told reporters Sunday as he left his Bedminster golf course.

Pressed on whether the disaster was exacerbated by his administration’s push to shrink federal agencies, including the National Weather Service, he deflected.

[Anonymous]

It has been confirmed 100 people dead in Texas. Meanwhile Ted Cruz is still on vacation, meanwhile JD Vance is having sushi in San Diego. Meanwhile ice comes to try to intimidate people in Los Angeles, meanwhile two brave Mexican girls saved 20 and meanwhile Mexican rescue teams are helping in Texas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It has been confirmed 100 people dead in Texas. Meanwhile Ted Cruz is still on vacation, meanwhile JD Vance is having sushi in San Diego. Meanwhile ice comes to try to intimidate people in Los Angeles, meanwhile two brave Mexican girls saved 20 and meanwhile Mexican rescue teams are helping in Texas.

And Trump spent the weekend golfing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read on twitter somewhere (don't have a link) that the county opted out of federal alerts. Don't know how true that it, but I did read it yesterday. I also read that campers along that same river, from different camps, died in 1979 and 1987...they even made a movie about one of the incidents. This is the third time it's happened in 50 years....I'm surprised these camps have not moved to a safer location. My own son went to a camp where his cabin was pretty much on a river bank. I shudder to think about it now. Cabins should never be located so close to rivers, especially when the counselors themselves are usually young themselves and inexperienced with weather events like these. Just a shame all the way around.

This is what happens when you don’t invest or fund infrastructure warning systems.

And funny how the Republicans/MAGAs do not want to discuss these problems and want to make it analyzing what the he$$ went wrong an offensive act.

It’s the republican playbook. When they were cutting funding, they denied there would be any impacts. They claimed democrats were hysterical when they warned people would die. And then when the predictable consequences happen, they deny they are connected to their decisions.

They are running the same playbook with Medicaid. They’re claiming the cuts will have no effects. No one will lose healthcare! And then when they do, they’ll deny there’s any connection.

Right- and they WANT to weaken NOAA. That’s part of the whole plan, so they can paint the agency as incompetent and use as an excuse to privatize weather forecasting.

The weather forecasting and warnings aside, I hope there are some real conversations about whether it makes sense to rebuild all these children’s camps in such a flood prone area. Really risky even if the warnings had come earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Over 100 dead now and many still missing. This is the result of MAGA governance. When you keep cutting taxes, people die.


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.

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

Yup, some serious incompetence/recklessness/stupidity from the Republican side contributing to the loss of lives in Texas.

Trump Looks to Avoid Casting Blame in Texas Flood as Democrats Question Cuts
The White House rebuked critics for raising questions about the administration’s efforts to shrink federal agencies that deal with disaster preparedness and response.

When a hurricane hit North Carolina last year, Donald J. Trump claimed without evidence that the Biden administration was avoiding helping residents in Republican areas. When wildfires burned through Los Angeles earlier this year, Mr. Trump excoriated local and state Democrats for the calamity, making false assertions about water use policy.

But after a catastrophic flood that tore through Texas last week, leaving at least 100 dead, Mr. Trump cautioned against casting blame.

“This is a hundred-year catastrophe, and it’s just so horrible to watch,” the president told reporters Sunday as he left his Bedminster golf course.

Pressed on whether the disaster was exacerbated by his administration’s push to shrink federal agencies, including the National Weather Service, he deflected.

This is the kind of disaster that you’d link with 3rd world countries. That a river flooding could kill 100 people in a first world country with rich resources is bewildering.

[Anonymous]

Isn't MTG going to blame the dems for seeding clouds to cause a flood?

[Anonymous]

Ted Cruz had to evacuate his daughter so you can be sure federal funds will be flowing to build up this area.

[Anonymous]

Who remembers CNN last October trashing Trump for criticizing Biden's response to Helene in NC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obviously. I am sure that he will.blame Bidenif he hasn't already done so

Well, that a good point.

Joe Biden was Vice President for 8 years and President for 4 years. That’s 12 years at the very top leadership positions in the nation.

And in that whole time, he never fixed the flooding problem in Texas hill country.

Republicans in flood prone districts (including the Congressman for the area where Camp Mystic is) voted against flood warning systems in Congress that Democrats supported. Darwinism at work.

https://thehill.com/policy/equilibrium-sustainability/5388538-texas-floods-flash-flooding-camp-mystic-dhs-nws-warnings/

On Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) told reporters that he would urge state lawmakers to focus on a better system of state warnings in the upcoming July special legislative session.


One such system exists in other flood-prone basins, where gauges in a cresting river automatically send alerts to a network of river sirens, which sound alarms across the area.

That’s technology that Kerrville officials say they have needed for years. But locals “reeled at the cost” of a county program, Kelly told PBS’s “Frontline,” and attempts to pay for it with state or federal funds failed.

In 2018, during the first Trump administration, Kerr County and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for about $1 million to build a flood warning system — and were denied, KXAN reported.
This year, a bill that would have spent $500 million on a modern system of disaster warnings across the state passed the House but died in the Senate. One House member who voted against it, first-term state Rep. Wes Virdell (R), represents Kerr County.

“I can tell you in hindsight, watching what it takes to deal with a disaster like this, my vote would probably be different now,” Virdell told The Texas Tribune on Sunday, adding that he had objected to the measure’s price tag.

FEMA should have denied this request. This is a state problem and part of disaster preparedness. States need to take some responsibility somewhere. However, it's much cheaper to just do nothing and expect FEMA to come in after the disaster and fix things. Free federal money, hooray!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MAGAs didn't care about NOAA or the NWS until this weekend.

Republicans take everything the government does for granted, and doesn't miss it until it's gone and too late.

This narrative you're trying to spin about NOAA/NWS is pure propaganda. There were no staffing issues and they sent out one alert after another. You people need to get a grip.

At 4:03 a.m., the office issued an urgent warning that raised the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life.

Jonathan Porter, the chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, a private weather forecasting company that uses National Weather Service data, said it appeared evacuations and other proactive measures could have been undertaken to reduce the risk of fatalities.

“People, businesses, and governments should take action based on Flash Flood Warnings that are issued, regardless of the rainfall amounts that have occurred or are forecast,” Porter said in a statement.

It's no propaganda. Yes, NWS still did its job to the best of its ability but its an absolute fact that they and other agencies have lost significant staff, funding and other resources, which puts the nation at risk.

So now that it’s been demonstrably proved that the NWS did have a full staff on had, plus extra personnel, AND issued alerts (which it seems were largely ignored) prior to the flooding, so NOW the narrative is changing.


Now it’s “govt agencies have been reduced in size and budget and more things like this will happen because of that”….. Despite it being clear to everyone now that this flooding tragedy occurred with an over-staffed local NWS office that issued alerts well before the flooding started.


You people are sooooo invested in making this about Trump you’ll twist anything into all manner of narrative-pretzel if you think it sounds deceptive enough to be convincing.


You people are the opposite poll of Brietbart or other RW groups, and you’re every bit as lacking in credibility and integrity.

The issue was that the staff who was there didn't have the institutional knowledge and people at the county level didn't heed the warnings and take actions. If the one meteorologist who left for retirement hadn't, the right people at the county level would have been notified early enough to do something about it. That is still on DOGE.

That would be a COO failure. If what you say is true, no one in the government can ever take leave because the institutional knowledge of who to contact would be unavailable during their PTO. That's unacceptable.