Rainmaker CEO Speaks Out About Cloud Seeding in Texas Before Floods
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The CEO of a cloud-seeding company has spoken out about the organization's work after a series of deadly flash floods hit Texas.
Rainmaker CEO Augustus Doricko said his company, which works with farmers in Texas during times of drought, "unequivocally had nothing to do with the flooding."
Newsweek contacted Doricko for further comment via email.
The Context
Flash floods swept across central Texas on Friday. More than 80 people have died, and many remain missing, according to the Associated Press. Flooding struck as the Guadalupe River surged by more than 20 to 26 feet within 90 minutes, which caused widespread devastation and forced mass evacuations.
The National Weather Service has activated flood warnings across Texas, and many of these are expected to last until at least Monday morning. Flooding is the second-deadliest weather hazard in the U.S. after extreme heat, according to NWS data.
What To Know
Cloud-seeding operations are widespread in Texas and cover about one-sixth of the state, spanning 31 million acres across its northwestern, western and southern regions as of 2022, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Doricko said the technology was completely unrelated to the flash floods in Texas, which he said were prompted by parts of a tropical storm blowing into the state.
Floodwater left debris, including vehicles and equipment, scattered in Louise Hays Park in Kerrville, Texas, on July 5.
Floodwater left debris, including vehicles and equipment, scattered in Louise Hays Park in Kerrville, Texas, on July 5.
Getty Images
Over the past week, Doricko has appeared on several news broadcasts and podcasts to discuss the technology and explain why it isn't linked to the floods.
"We unequivocally had nothing to do with the flooding that was caused by the remnants of the tropical storm that blew in," he told Steve Bannon on the War Room podcast.
He continued: "Our biggest cloud-seeding missions to date have only produced 10 million gallons of precipitation approximately, and that tropical storm dumped about 4 trillion over the course of two days.
"The order magnitude difference between what cloud-seeding is even capable and what happened is incomparable."
What Is Cloud Seeding?
Cloud seeding is an eco-friendly method used to increase precipitation, such as rain or snow, from clouds. The technology involves dispersing tiny particles, or "seeds," into the clouds to stimulate the formation of extra water droplets or ice crystals, which speeds up precipitation and enhances the cloud's effectiveness. Cloud seeding is also employed to minimize hail damage and dissipate fog.
Who Is Augustus Doricko?
Doricko is the CEO of Rainmaker, a cloud-seeding company operating in several states. He has spoken out against theories that the technology his company uses has contributed to floods and other natural disasters.
What Is Rainmaker?
Rainmaker is a cloud-seeding company based in El Segundo, California, according to its website. Farmers in several states employ Rainmaker to help them avoid the effects of drought on crops and farmland.
The company's website said, " Rainmaker provides water for farms, watersheds, and ecosystems, fortifying growth and stewarding the natural world."
It uses a weather radar and a larger atmospheric sensing system, along with a network of weather-resistant drones, in its seeding work with the goal of recreating weather activity that helps prevent drought and preserve ecosystems in the U.S.
Doricko told Bannon that farmers "cloud seed either to try to fill up aquifers preemptively or when there is a drought. They not only use it for aquifer recharge and farming in Texas but municipalities throughout Utah and Idaho also use it. This technology was invented in the United States in the 1940s."
According to the CEO, Rainmaker is under strict regulations from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to suspend all activity if flooding begins.
"If ever there's a risk of flooding—if reservoir spillage is a risk—then you have to stop operating, and a day before there was any flash flood warning, our meteorologists proactively suspended operations before even that regulatory threshold from the state of Texas," he said.
What Happens Next
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, has said she will introduce a bill to address "weather modification."
She wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the bill would prohibit "the injection, release, or dispersion of chemicals or substances into the atmosphere for the express purpose of altering weather, temperature, climate, or sunlight intensity."
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