Texas floods: Donald Trump vows to upgrade outdated warning system even as weather service defends its forecasts
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.
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