Why the Texas flooding tragedy is bigger than this one state
Here's The Deal - There is some debate over whether federal staffing cuts played a role in weather forecasting
First and foremost, my heart goes out to all the families who lost children and loved ones in this catastrophic flooding in central Texas. Here is a list of organizations working to help this community.
Here’s what we know:
Torrential rains and flash flooding hit the Texas Hill Country area during the July Fourth holiday weekend.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at least 110 people have died from the flooding, and another 173 people are still missing in the Kerr County area.
He’s urging families to email Kerrvillemissing@dps.texas.gov to report missing loved ones.
More than two dozen of the victims were campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls near the Guadalupe River.
“Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly. We have been in communication with local and state authorities 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. We ask for your continued prayers, respect and privacy for each of our families affected. May the Lord continue to wrap His presence around all of us.” - Officials at Camp Mystic
According to the Governor’s office, the state has deployed over 1,750 personnel and more than 975 vehicles and equipment assets to support rescue and recovery efforts. There are also more than 20 state agencies responding to flooding threats across the state.
Here’s why this weather event goes beyond Texas:
As rescue and recovery efforts continue, there are some questions about disaster preparedness after massive staffing cuts at the federal level.
That’s because the Trump administration cut hundreds of jobs at the National Weather Service (NWS) earlier this year. Hundreds of experienced forecasters and senior managers were also encouraged to retire early, according to the AP.
After these staffing cuts, National Weather Service statements show some field offices temporarily suspended the use of critical tools for gathering data about local and national forecasts, such as weather balloon launches. As of last month, the federal agency started the process of hiring more than 100 employees to "stabilize operations" at field offices nationwide.
The AP reports that Democrats have linked the massive staffing cuts to the disaster. Meanwhile, President Trump is pushing back, saying those reductions didn’t affect any weather forecasting. Over the weekend, he said the rising flood waters were “a thing that happened in seconds. No one expected it. Nobody saw it.”
If you’d like to read a detailed timeline of events leading up to to deadly flash flooding, NPR has a breakdown here.
This natural disaster also comes as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a 60% chance of an “above-normal” Atlantic hurricane season from June 1 to November 30.
Here’s what you should watch next:
There are still questions about the timing of alerts and evacuations in the hours leading up to the flooding in central Texas.
Governor Abbott said state lawmakers will address the emergency alert system during a special legislative session later this month.
“We’re going to address every aspect of this storm to make sure that we’re going to have in place the systems that are needed to prevent deadly flooding events like this in the future,” said Abbott.