Donald Trump vows to upgrade outdated weather warning system that failed to warn Texas flood risk, Kristi Noem says
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the administration was committed to fixing what she described as 'ancient' forecasting technology that failed to provide timely warnings before the deadly flooding.
'That is one of the reasons that, when President Trump took office, he said he wanted to fix and is currently upgrading the technology,' Noem said at a Saturday news conference alongside state officials.
'We know that everybody wants more warning time, and that's why we're working to upgrade the technologies that have been neglected for far too long,' she added.
However, she did not announce a timeline for completing the improvements.
The calls for modernisation come even as the Trump administration has dramatically reduced staffing at the agencies responsible for forecasting and climate research.
Earlier this year, Senator Maria Cantwell revealed that at least 880 employees were cut from NOAA, which oversees the National Weather Service and the critical observational networks that feed data to forecasters.
Officials are now facing mounting criticism over the late warnings that left families little time to escape the rising waters.
Noem acknowledged that the flood exposed glaring weaknesses in federal weather alerts.
'We needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years, and that is the reforms that are ongoing there,' she said.
She cited her time as a governor and congresswoman to underscore how unpredictable weather can be, but emphasized that communities deserve better notice.
'The weather is extremely difficult to predict,' Noem insisted. 'But also … the National Weather Service, over the years at times, has done well and at times, we have all wanted more time and more warning.'
Although a flood watch was issued before the disaster, Noem described it as a 'moderate' alert that did not anticipate the system stalling over the area and dumping historic rainfall.
'When the [weather] system came over the area, it stalled,' she explained. 'It was much more water, much like [what] we experienced during [Hurricane] Harvey… it stopped right here and dumped unprecedented amounts of rain that caused a flooding event like this.'
In Kerr County alone, the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes, sweeping away homes, cars, and entire camps.
One of the hardest-hit locations was Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp in Hunt, Texas. Floodwaters destroyed cabins and left dozens of children missing.
As of Sunday afternoon, 27 girls still had not been located. Search teams using helicopters, boats, and drones continued combing debris fields and overturned vehicles stretching for miles.
'I do carry your concerns back to the federal government, to President Trump, and we will do all we can to fix those kinds of things that may have felt like a failure to you and to your community members,' Noem told reporters.
Authorities warned that the danger was not over, as additional rain continued to pound the region and flash flood watches remained in effect.
'Searchers are working tirelessly to find survivors,' officials said in a statement Saturday. 'This is a historic disaster, and recovery will take time.'
Noem concluded by stressing the urgency of updating early warning systems to protect families.
'We are shattered by this loss, and we are committed to doing everything we can to make sure it never happens again,' she said.
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India Today
an hour ago
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59, including 21 children, dead in Texas flooding; 850 rescued so far
The death toll from catastrophic floods in Texas reached 59 on Sunday, including 21 children, law enforcement said, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp entered a third Leitha, the Kerr County Sheriff in Texas Hill Country, the epicenter of the flooding, said 11 girls and a counsellor remained missing from a camp near the Guadalupe River, which broke its banks after torrential rain fell in the central Texas area on Friday, the US Independence Day said there were 18 adults and four children still pending identification. He did not say if those 22 individuals were included in the death count of 59. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain across the region, about 85 miles (140 km) northwest of San Antonio. It was unclear exactly how many people in the area were still missing."Everyone in the community is hurting," Leitha told experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the Donald Trump and his administration have overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but that they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees NOAA, said a "moderate" flood watch issued on Thursday by the National Weather Service had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall and said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the White House did not immediately respond to a request for Castro, a Democratic congressman from Texas, told CNN's 'State of the Union' that fewer personnel at the weather service could be dangerous."When you have flash flooding, there's a risk that if you don't have the personnel to do that analysis, do the predictions in the best way, it could lead to tragedy," Castro RAINMore rain was expected in the area on Sunday. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Kerr County until 1 pm local disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet (9 meters).Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, told a press conference on Saturday he had asked Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected. Noem said Trump would honour that has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden 11 missing girls and the counsellor were from the Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls' camp, which had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood.A day after the disaster struck, the camp was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least six feet (1.83 m) from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall.- EndsMust Watch
Mint
2 hours ago
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Texas floods: Donald Trump vows to upgrade outdated warning system even as weather service defends its forecasts
US President Donald Trump is pledging to modernize America's outdated weather warning systems after catastrophic floods killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, across Central Texas early Friday morning. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the administration was committed to fixing what she described as 'ancient' forecasting technology that failed to provide timely warnings before the deadly flooding. 'That is one of the reasons that, when President Trump took office, he said he wanted to fix and is currently upgrading the technology,' Noem said at a Saturday news conference alongside state officials. 'We know that everybody wants more warning time, and that's why we're working to upgrade the technologies that have been neglected for far too long,' she added. However, she did not announce a timeline for completing the improvements. The calls for modernisation come even as the Trump administration has dramatically reduced staffing at the agencies responsible for forecasting and climate research. Earlier this year, Senator Maria Cantwell revealed that at least 880 employees were cut from NOAA, which oversees the National Weather Service and the critical observational networks that feed data to forecasters. Officials are now facing mounting criticism over the late warnings that left families little time to escape the rising waters. Noem acknowledged that the flood exposed glaring weaknesses in federal weather alerts. 'We needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years, and that is the reforms that are ongoing there,' she said. She cited her time as a governor and congresswoman to underscore how unpredictable weather can be, but emphasized that communities deserve better notice. 'The weather is extremely difficult to predict,' Noem insisted. 'But also … the National Weather Service, over the years at times, has done well and at times, we have all wanted more time and more warning.' Although a flood watch was issued before the disaster, Noem described it as a 'moderate' alert that did not anticipate the system stalling over the area and dumping historic rainfall. 'When the [weather] system came over the area, it stalled,' she explained. 'It was much more water, much like [what] we experienced during [Hurricane] Harvey… it stopped right here and dumped unprecedented amounts of rain that caused a flooding event like this.' In Kerr County alone, the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes, sweeping away homes, cars, and entire camps. One of the hardest-hit locations was Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp in Hunt, Texas. Floodwaters destroyed cabins and left dozens of children missing. As of Sunday afternoon, 27 girls still had not been located. Search teams using helicopters, boats, and drones continued combing debris fields and overturned vehicles stretching for miles. 'I do carry your concerns back to the federal government, to President Trump, and we will do all we can to fix those kinds of things that may have felt like a failure to you and to your community members,' Noem told reporters. Authorities warned that the danger was not over, as additional rain continued to pound the region and flash flood watches remained in effect. 'Searchers are working tirelessly to find survivors,' officials said in a statement Saturday. 'This is a historic disaster, and recovery will take time.' Noem concluded by stressing the urgency of updating early warning systems to protect families. 'We are shattered by this loss, and we are committed to doing everything we can to make sure it never happens again,' she said. The National Weather Service (NWS) defended its response, saying forecasters provided ample warning before the deadly surge. The comments came amid mounting criticism of outdated alert systems and staffing shortages linked to federal cuts and early retirements under the Trump administration. Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the NWS employees' union, told CNN that while he believes the offices had 'adequate staffing and resources,' the Austin-San Antonio forecast office lacked a critical position. 'The Austin-San Antonio office is missing a warning coordination meteorologist — a role that serves as a crucial, direct link between forecasters and emergency managers,' Fahy said. A NOAA official told CNN that this and other vacancies were the result of early retirement incentives introduced by the Trump administration to reduce the federal workforce. NOAA spokesperson Kim Doster rejected suggestions that warnings were too late, saying the Weather Service issued alerts well before the Guadalupe River overwhelmed communities. 'The National Weather Service is heartbroken by the tragic loss of life in Kerr County,' Doster said in a statement to CNN. 'On July 3, the NWS office in Austin/San Antonio, TX conducted forecast briefings for emergency management in the morning and issued a Flood Watch in the early afternoon.' Doster added that multiple Flash Flood Warnings were issued during the night and early hours of July 4.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
‘Nobody saw this coming': Texas flood kills 59; 27 girls still missing after camp washed away, rescue efforts enter day 3
Texas Flood The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Texas has climbed to 59, with more fatalities feared, state officials said Sunday. 'We still have heavy rains today, and we lost others. We're now up to 59. We expect that to go higher, sadly,' Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told Fox News. 27 girls still missing from flood-hit summer camp Rescuers continued a desperate third day of searching for 27 girls who went missing after floodwaters surged through Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County. Most of the confirmed dead were recovered from the camp site. Raging waters rose 26 feet in 45 minutes Authorities said the river rose by 26 feet in just 45 minutes before dawn on Friday, sweeping away homes, vehicles, and campgrounds. Helicopters, boats, and drones were deployed across debris-filled landscapes to locate survivors. At least one flash flood warning remained in effect in central Texas on Sunday. Governor declares day of prayer, Pope offers condolences Governor Greg Abbott declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state. 'I urge every Texan to join me in prayer... for the lives lost, for those still missing, and for the safety of those on the front lines,' he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Mucus in Lungs? Do This if You Feel Breathlessness Neuracare Learn More Undo Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, also offered condolences, praying for families who lost loved ones, particularly daughters at the summer camp. Questions raised about preparedness Authorities are facing scrutiny over whether sufficient warnings and evacuations were made in time. AccuWeather and the National Weather Service had reportedly issued flash flood alerts hours in advance. Still, many camps were caught off-guard. Survivors recall terrifying escape Camp survivor Elinor Lester, 13, described how she and other girls escaped with the help of rescuers using ropes to cross a flooded bridge. An 8-year-old girl from Alabama and a nearby camp director are among the confirmed dead. Over 850 people rescued in 36 hours More than 850 people were rescued within 36 hours, including from treetops and rooftops. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem assured federal support, with Coast Guard aircraft continuing operations after dark. Locals cling to trees, take shelter in attics Residents described harrowing survival stories. Erin Burgess said she and her teenage son clung to a tree for an hour after water rushed into their home. Barry Adelman recounted moving his entire family, including a 94-year-old and a child, into their attic. 'Nobody saw this coming,' say officials Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly called it a once-in-a-century flood. 'We know the river rises. But nobody saw this coming,' he said, adding that a proposed flood warning system had failed to materialize due to cost concerns. He said recovery efforts will now begin, calling it a 'long, toilsome task.'
