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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Trump's NWS cuts were blamed for Texas flood deaths. Here are the facts
Following the devastating and destructive flash flooding in central Texas on July 4, 2025, users online claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration was ultimately to blame for the flood's 100 deaths due to staffing cuts at the National Weather Service. The weather service issued a series of timely alerts: a flood watch early in the afternoon on July 3, a flash flood warning at 1:14 a.m. July 4, and a flash flood emergency at 4:03 a.m. July 4, before any in-person reports of flooding had been received. Communicating the warnings to the public was made more difficult because the flooding happened in the middle of the night in an area without a robust emergency communication system. Also, it was the Fourth of July weekend, when many people who weren't local residents — meaning they may have had less knowledge of the flash flooding risks — were present. Although Trump's cuts did affect staffing at the two weather service offices in charge of the affected area, an agency spokesperson told Snopes via email that both offices were fully staffed at the time of the floods. At 5:15 a.m. July 4, 2025, the gauge recording the water level on the Guadalupe River just upstream of Kerrville, Texas, measured its height at 1.82 feet above the standard reference value. An hour and a half later, at 6:45 a.m., the gauge recorded the river's height at 34.29 feet. Earlier that night, the skies had opened up and did not relent. The flash flooding that resulted from the deluge killed at least 106 people in Kerr County as of July 14, and at least 26 more in nearby counties, according to The Texas Tribune. In the wake of the catastrophic floods, Texas officials and people online began theorizing on why the storm and its floods were so deadly in this case. One theory shared on social media sites such as TikTok, Facebook, and X blamed U.S. President Donald Trump's administration for the deaths. According to these posts, the Department of Government Efficiency initiative championed by former Trump ally and tech billionaire Elon Musk implemented massive spending cuts at the National Weather Service, allegedly leaving already underfunded and understaffed forecasters struggling to keep up. Snopes found that the case was similar to that of a tornado in Somerset, Kentucky, that killed 19 people in May 2025. That is, the local weather service offices issued timely watches and warnings in advance of the disaster, but the Trump administration's cuts have left the weather service as a whole, including both Texas offices in charge of forecasting the affected area, understaffed. National Weather Service facts The weather service maintains 122 offices around the country dedicated solely to weather prediction, and it has 13 different River Forecast Centers, which provide local offices "river and flood forecasts and warnings as well as basic hydrologic information." The area affected by the Texas flooding is covered by the San Angelo and Austin/San Antonio weather service offices and the West Gulf RFC in Fort Worth. National Weather Service spokesperson Erica Grow Cei told Snopes via email that those offices "had extra personnel on duty during the catastrophic flooding event in Texas's Hill Country during the July 4 holiday weekend." The name "flash flood" gives away the danger at hand — "flash" can refer to both the incredible speed at which the water rises and the flood's sudden onset after excessive rainfall. In order to predict a flash flood, meteorologists must first accurately predict where heavy rain will fall and compare it with the "flash flood guidance," an "estimate of the amount of rainfall required over a given area during a given duration to cause small streams to flood," issued by the appropriate River Forecast Center. In this case, the West Gulf RFC maintains the following guidelines for the area most heavily affected by the floods: The archived excessive rainfall outlook forecasts issued at least twice a day by the weather service in the days leading up to the flooding labeled the area first at a "marginal" risk (at least a 5% chance), then at a "slight" risk (at least a 15% chance) for flash flooding. July 3 weather forecasts The precision required to predict where in a storm it will rain the heaviest makes predicting flash floods very difficult. Greg Waller, a service coordination hydrologist at the West Gulf RFC, told The Texas Tribune the area's terrain "makes it so precipitation forecasts off by just 20 miles could affect entirely different river basins." Accordingly, the San Angelo office's afternoon forecast on July 3 said predicting the day's weather was "complicated." It noted the potential for a band of "torrential" rainfall that could lead to flash flooding, but, according to the forecast, the weather "features are so weak and the interaction so complicated, if and where this band develops remains uncertain." The Austin/San Antonio weather office's afternoon forecast on July 3 also predicted heavier rain. The 1:38 p.m. bulletin noted "an environment presently conducive to heavy rain, supporting 1 to 2 inch per hour rain rates," approaching the flash flood guidelines. It continued: Models remain in disagreement over the placement of the heaviest rain totals, though the greatest rainfall potential this afternoon into tonight is over the Highway 90 corridor, southern Edwards Plateau and Hill Country. Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches appear likely, but locally higher amounts upwards of 5 to 7 inches could materialize if slow-moving storms begin to cluster. Given the heavy rainfall potential, some flooding is possible. A Flood Watch is now in effect through 7 AM Friday morning for the southern Edwards Plateau and western Hill Country, where the intersection of higher forecast rainfall amounts and rainfall from the past few days is most evident. While the greatest concentration of modeled precipitation is in the aforementioned areas, the highest rain amounts could shift depending on where storms aggregate, and expansion towards the I-35 corridor is possible later this evening into the overnight as the trough moves gradually east. Flood watches and warnings The weather service has three stages of alerts for most environmental dangers. The afternoon forecasts from both San Angelo and Austin/San Antonio, 12 hours in advance, issued a flood watch for the area. That's the designation of lowest concern "issued when conditions are favorable for flooding. It does not mean flooding will occur, but it is possible," according to the weather service. The next level, a warning, is issued when "a flash flood is imminent or occurring." Warnings trigger emergency alerts on TVs, radios and cellphones. The first flash flood warning came in for the Kerrville area at 1:14 a.m. At 4:03 a.m, the warning was upgraded to the most serious alert, an emergency — a life-threatening situation issued when, as Austin/San Antonio weather service meteorologist Bob Fogarty told The Texas Tribune, "someone has told us we need to get people out of here immediately or people are going to die." Cei told Snopes that for flash floods, the National Weather Service is generally able to give residents "3 hours or more of what we call 'lead time', which is the time in between the warning being issued and the event occurring." In this case, that lead time on the initial warning was about accurate. The warning was issued at 1:14, and Cei said the first reports of flooding happened at 4:35 a.m., after the upgrade to an emergency. In other words, the forecasting wasn't the problem. Staffing and communications The problem, as with many other deadly natural disasters, was communicating the danger to residents. That problem was likely exacerbated by the 4th of July holiday drawing in out-of-towners unfamiliar with flash flooding risks and absolutely exacerbated by the fact that the warning and subsequent flood occurred in the middle of the night in an area that, according to The Texas Tribune, does not have a robust emergency communication system. The nonprofit newsroom reported that state lawmakers rejected a bill to spend $500 million on improving such systems across the state in 2024 over concerns it would cost too much. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly (in Texas, county judges are responsible for emergency management) said in the story that county residents rejected installing a flood siren system, like those used for tornadoes, for similar reasons. It's possible that cuts to the weather service workforce may have exacerbated the communication problems, but it's unclear to what extent. Cei told Snopes the offices were appropriately staffed during the disaster. The New York Times reported that the Austin/San Antonio office has been without a warning coordination meteorologist since April 30, although NBC News reported that Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the union that represents NWS employees, said the office has an employee acting in that role. That position, which Cei said exists at all 122 weather offices around the nation, works with local officials to plan for emergencies, including how to warn affected residents and help them evacuate if needed. The individual reportedly accepted the Trump administration's early retirement plan, offered as part of DOGE's initiative to gut the federal workforce. The Austin/San Antonio weather office's official page lists six vacancies and 21 active staff members. The San Angelo page does not list vacancies, but The Texas Tribune reported it has four vacancies out of 23 total positions. Cei said the weather service continues to move staffers around on temporary and permanent assignments to fill the roles at its offices "with the greatest operational need." "Additionally, a targeted number of permanent, mission-critical field positions will soon be advertised under an exception to the Department-wide hiring freeze to further stabilize frontline operations," she added. According to The New York Times, more than 600 workers at the weather service had left due to the Trump administration's policies as of June 2. Fahy told the paper the agency had been approved to add 126 new hires to address the understaffing. "Catastrophic Floods Cause Deaths In Central Texas - Videos from The Weather Channel." The Weather Channel, Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. Cobler, Paul. "In Texas Region Prone to Catastrophic Floods, Questions Grow about Lack of Warning." The Texas Tribune, 5 Jul. 2025, D'Antonio, Kathleen Magramo, Karina Tsui, Diego Mendoza, Alaa Elassar, Rebekah Riess, Hanna Park, Lauren Mascarenhas, Chris Boyette, Maureen Chowdhury, Danya Gainor, Amanda Musa, Michael Williams, Isabelle. "July 6, 2025 - News on Deadly Texas Floods." CNN, 6 Jul. 2025, Deliver, Texas Counties. "County Judge & County Commissioners." Texas Counties Deliver, Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. Flavelle, Christopher. "As Floods Hit, Key Roles Were Vacant at Weather Service Offices in Texas." The New York Times, 5 Jul. 2025, Guadalupe Rv at Kerrville, TX. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. Izzo, Jack. "Trump Admin Cut Weather Service Staff in Kentucky, Where Tornadoes Killed 19. But There's More to the Story." Snopes, 20 May 2025, Jiménez, Jesus, Margarita Birnbaum, et al. "Officials Feared Flood Risk to Youth Camps but Rejected Warning System." The New York Times, 6 Jul. 2025, Jiménez, Jesus, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, et al. "Texas Flood Death Toll Tops 100 With More Rain to Fall." The New York Times, 7 Jul. 2025. Jones, Judson. "After Staff Cuts, the National Weather Service Is Hiring Again." The New York Times, 2 Jun. 2025, Langford, By Sneha Dey, Alejandro Serrano, Jayme Lozano Carver, Eleanor Klibanoff and Terri. "Texas Floods' Death Toll Climbs as Authorities Focus on Recovering Victims' Bodies." The Texas Tribune, 7 Jul. 2025, Lanza, Matt. "Making Sense of the Weather That Led to a Horrible Texas Flooding Tragedy, plus Tropical Storm Chantal." The Eyewall, 5 Jul. 2025, Martinez, By Alejandra. "Staff Vacancies Hit Texas Weather Offices as They Brace for a Busy Hurricane Season." The Texas Tribune, 9 Jun. 2025, "National Weather Service Defends Its Flood Warnings amid Fresh Scrutiny of Trump Staff Cuts." NBC News, 8 Jul. 2025, "Officials Push Away Questions about Lack of Widespread Warnings before Deadly Texas Floods." AP News, 8 Jul. 2025, Ramos, By Terri Langford and Carlos Nogueras. "Texas Lawmakers Failed to Pass a Bill to Improve Local Disaster Warning Systems This Year." The Texas Tribune, 6 Jul. 2025, River Forecast Centers | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. Serrano, Alejandro. "White House Defends National Forecasting Agency amid Questions about Warnings, Response to Texas Floods." The Texas Tribune, 7 Jul. 2025, Service, NOAA's National Weather. WPC Excessive Rainfall Forecast Archive. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. US Department of Commerce, NOAA. About Us. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. ---. Flash Flood Guidance. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. ---. Flood and Flash Flood Definitions. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. ---. Flood Warning VS. Watch. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. ---. Hydrology Terms and Definitions. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. ---. NWS San Angelo Office Information. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. ---. Observed Rainfall. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Digging into claim Musk donated $7 million to help Texas flood victims
Claim: Tech billionaire Elon Musk donated $7 million to help Texas flood victims. Rating: As rescue workers continued to search for missing people following deadly flash flooding in Texas, posts that circulated on Facebook in July 2025 claimed tech billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk donated millions to help victims. Posts sharing the claim read, in part: As Texas faced a devastating flood disaster that claimed the lives of at least 51 people, including 15 children, billionaire Elon Musk stunned the world by donating $7 million to help the victims and families of those still missing in the devastating floods. The posts displayed an image of Musk alongside images of what appeared to be flooding and resulting debris in Texas. Snopes readers emailed us and searched our website to ask whether Musk really donated $7 million to help victims of the Texas floods. However, the claim was false. We found no credible evidence that Musk donated $7 million to aid Texas flood victims. The Facebook posts directed users to a website that was flagged as suspicious on a Snopes reporter's laptop. Our attempts to access the purported article about Musk's donation redirected us to websites that appeared to promote unrelated products or services. Furthermore, searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo found no news media outlets reporting about Musk's purported donation to Texas flood victims. If the rumor were true, prominent news outlets likely would have reported it. Snopes emailed Tesla's press office and will update this story if we receive a response. The images that circulated alongside the rumor about Musk's donation appeared to be generated using artificial intelligence, AI detection platforms Hive and Sightengine found, though these platforms are not always accurate. The image that appeared to show Musk also included visible signs of AI generation, such as smooth facial features. (Hive AI Detector) The rumor about Musk closely resembled other false stories about celebrities donating large sums of money or assisting with relief efforts in Texas, many of which appeared alongside AI-generated content. For example, Snopes debunked claims about musician Eric Clapton paying for victims' funeral expenses and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes donating $1.5 million to a relief fund for victims. Musk's satellite internet service Starlink did announce on July 5, 2025, that it would provide one month of free service for people affected by the flooding in Texas. It is also worth noting that Musk has donated to storm victims in the past, as Snopes previously reported. For example, in October 2024, the New Orleans-based nonprofit disaster recovery organization SBP reported receiving (archived) a $2.4 million grant from the tech billionaire's Musk Foundation to aid storm victims following Hurricane Helene. Following a volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga in January 2022, Musk's SpaceX helped restore (archived) some of the island nation's internet services. Additionally, in October 2017, the World Economic Forum reported on Musk's efforts involving Tesla contributing (archived) its Powerwall battery storage technology to bring electricity back to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Rascouët-Paz, Anna. "Story of Eric Clapton Paying Funeral Expenses of Texas Flood Victims Doesn't Hold Water." Snopes, 8 July 2025, Accessed 15 July 2025. Liles, Jordan. "Did Patrick Mahomes Donate $1.5M to Texas Flood Victims?" Snopes, 9 July 2025, Accessed 15 July 2025. ---. "Rumor Claims Musk Donated $800K to Help Storm Victims Repair Their Homes. Here's What We Know." Snopes, 3 Apr. 2025, Accessed 15 July 2025. SBP. "Musk Foundation Donates $2.4 Million to Support SBP's Multi-State Hurricane Helene Recovery Efforts in the Wake of Epic Destruction - SBP." SBP, 7 Oct. 2024, Accessed 15 July 2025. Perry, Nick, and David Rising. "Musk Helping Restore Tongan Internet; Virus Outbreak Growing." AP News, 9 Feb. 2022, Accessed 15 July 2025. Dom Galeon. "Tesla Is Bringing Power back to Puerto Rico's Hospitals." World Economic Forum, 26 Oct. 2017, Accessed 15 July 2025.
Mint
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
The Simpsons did it again? Labubu doll craze sparks demonic conspiracy fuelled by viral clip
The Labubu doll, once a niche collectible designed by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, has now exploded into the global fashion and fandom scene. Along with its skyrocketing prices and celebrity endorsements, the toy is now at the centre of an unsettling internet theory: that it is cursed, demonic and was predicted by The Simpsons. According to a Unilad report, Labubu dolls, created through a collaboration between Pop Mart and Lung, are based on his book series The Monsters, which features a tribe of female elf-like creatures. Known for their mischievous grins and exaggerated features, Labubus are now hot items in the Gen Z market. However, not everyone is thrilled. Some users on TikTok and Reddit have claimed that the dolls radiate 'dark energy,' and one even filmed themselves burning their Labubu doll, saying that the collectible was cursed with a demon that almost ruined their life. According to another Times of India report, fueling the paranoia is a resurfaced clip from The Simpsons' 2017 Treehouse of Horror episode, where Homer orders what he believes is pizza but receives a demonic Pazuzu statue instead. The possession of baby Maggie that follows in the episode has drawn eerie parallels to Labubu's rise. Although Labubu does not resemble Pazuzu physically, who, in mythology, has wings, a canine face and talons, the vibe, some say, is disturbingly similar. Fans, as per Unilad, were quick to link the two, with one user writing on X (formerly Twitter), 'Labubu = Pazuzu. Do not invite demons into your home.' Another noted that Homer from The Simpsons brought one home and it possessed him, and added Labubus give off the same energy. Labubu's transition from underground collectible to luxury status symbol, Unilad reported, only added fuel to the fire. Once a $10 novelty, some dolls now fetch thousands on resale platforms. This shift, combined with their uncanny aesthetic, has led many to believe their rise was too strange to be organic. The report added that a viral AI-generated image comparing Pazuzu to Labubu only deepened the frenzy. It prompted conspiracy theories about demonic symbolism and spiritual danger, with some self-proclaimed spiritual influencers warning followers to avoid the collectibles altogether. As per the Unilad report, Snopes, a debunking site, took a direct approach to the theory, claiming there is 'no evidence' Labubu is modelled after Pazuzu or shares any demonic connections with any characters. Snopes acknowledged that the toys poorly resemble the ancient Mesopotamian figure and that Kasing Lung references his own characters, not myth and folklore. But the internet was not having it. Even though meme-ification of fear is rampant, Labubu has morphed from plush to paranormal and now stands at a strange intersection of fashion, fandom, folklore and fear. Pazuzu is a demon from ancient Mesopotamian mythology, often associated with evil and chaos. Labubu is a toy that has gained sudden fame due to its resemblance to Pazuzu, sparking conspiracy theories about its origins and nature. The 666th episode of The Simpsons is titled "The Burns and the Bees." Labubu dolls, created through a collaboration between Pop Mart and Lung, are based on his book series The Monsters, but viral theories now claim it was inspired by Pazuzu demon.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Meme doesn't accurately show Venezuela as darker at night than rest of South America
Claim: A meme authentically shows a satellite image of South America where Venezuela stands out as the only country without any lights on at night. Rating: In July 2025, a meme posted to X claiming people can see socialism on display in Venezuela from space went viral, being viewed over 800,000 times within a week. The post (archived) included an image of an alleged nighttime satellite map of South America, in which Venezuela's borders were clearly visible because the country appeared starkly darker than the rest of the map covered by city lights. Text on the image said, "Socialism, so awesome you can see it from space." The image has been shared periodically on social media for at least six years. For example, it was posted to Facebook in 2020 and to Reddit in 2019. But the city lights satellite map in the meme had been edited. In reality, Venezuela is not starkly darker than the rest of the South America and therefore not clearly visible from space. NASA makes daily nightlight data visible through its Black Marble program. Snopes used the program's interactive timeline map to see the nightlights of the northern part of South America, where Venezuela is located, on July 5, 2025, the night before the viral meme was posted. Venezuela's largest cities along the northern coastline of the country were lit up and clearly visible, just like the cities in neighboring countries. There was also a heavy cluster of lights in the east of the country, where many oil wells are located. (NASA) (NASA) The daily Black Marble maps can be interrupted by cloud cover, and are less clear than the satellite map included in the meme. However, NASA periodically releases cleaner, blue-hued maps of Earth at night such as the one edited for the meme. An example of such a map is this high-resolution one from 2016. But Venezuela's cities and oil wells were lit up in these maps, too, and the country blends in with the rest of the continent rather than standing out as clearly darker. The map from 2016 was not an aberration, either. A NASA timeline of the Earth at night between 2012 and 2023 shows that Venezuela has never been distinguishably visible when viewed from space at night. Even during Venezuela's nationwide blackouts in March 2019, the country was not entirely dark. Lower quality NASA maps from the time show there were fewer areas of light in the country when the blackout occurred, but there were still lights in some cities and oil wells. Venezuela at night from March 6, 2019, to March 10, 2019. Nationwide blackouts began March 8. (NASA) The southern part of Venezuela is bereft of lights visible in these nighttime maps, but not even that part of Venezuela stands out in contrast to the country's neighbors. That's because the southern portion of the country is covered by the Amazon rainforest, which is sparsely populated in all of the countries it covers. If you pick a random point on Venezuela's border with Brazil or the southern half of Venezuela's border with Colombia on Google Maps, you are unlikely to see any buildings for potentially hundreds of miles. There's no reason uninhabited rainforest would appear darker at night on one side of a border than it does on the other side. Snopes has previously fact-checked other edited, inaccurate or otherwise mislabeled maps. Elkins, Kel. "Change in Night Lights between 2012 and 2023." NASA Scientific Visualization Studio, 27 May 2024, Accessed 10 July 2025. "Night Light Maps Open up New Applications." NASA, 13 Apr. 2017, Accessed 10 July 2025. "Worldview: Explore Your Dynamic Planet." NASA, Accessed 10 July 2025. Google Maps, Accessed 10 July 2025.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What to know about claims two Mexican counselors saved 20 campers from deadly Texas floods
In the aftermath of the tragic and fatal floods in Texas that occurred in early July 2025, rumors of heroic rescues and celebrity relief donations ran rampant across the internet. One such rumor purported that two counselors of Mexican heritage at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp along the bank of the Guadalupe River severely impacted by the flood, "rescued 20 girls trapped by the flooding," as one user on X (archived) put it. The rumor was massively popular on other social media platforms as well, including Facebook (archived), TikTok (archived) and Instagram (archived). Nearly every version of the rumor purported that the counselors in question were from Mexico, questioning if their ethnicity was the reason mainstream news was not adequately covering their heroic actions as a result of the ongoing mass deportation agenda of the Trump administration. For instance, one Instagram post (archived) claimed about the rumor, "Two Mexican women saved 20 children from drowning in Texas. US media is not sharing the story." The popularity of the claim led numerous Snopes readers to reach out via email to check its veracity. The rumor appeared to stem from an appearance of 19-year-olds Silvana Garza Valdez and María Paula Zárate on the Mexican news network NMás, in which they recounted their experiences during the flood. Snopes was unable to independently verify Valdez and Zárate's employment at Camp Mystic, so we have opted not to include a rating on this claim. We've reached out to Camp Mystic and will update this article if we receive a response. According to Valdez and Zárate, they were stationed at the Lake Cypress campground of Camp Mystic, which opened in 2020 and operated concurrently with the original campground. The Lake Cypress campground is situated on a hill and farther away from the Guadalupe River, which kept it from sustaining as much immediate damage as the original Camp Mystic site. A map on Camp Mystic's website depicted the locations of each campground and said the Lake Cypress camp was "built on the hill that overlooks the back lake." (Camp Mystic) Around two minutes into the interview, Valdez clarified they (translated from Spanish) "were at the new camp, they are like two branches on the same land," referring to the Lake Cypress location. "The original camp … was like a loss, almost total … They explained to us that all the girls who survived the camp were in our dining hall." Valdez explained they were told that the survivors waiting in the dining hall were going to be joining them in their cabins, so to keep their campers calm, they "organized all the girls to do welcome signs [and] to collect clothes that they want to donate because obviously they lost everything." According to the two women, the survivors were ultimately evacuated before that happened, and so they began to prepare for their own rescue as well. "Before dinner we started preparing the girls as well as counselors because we thought that they were also going to evacuate us," Zárate said. She continued, "So we started writing our names on our skin where it could be seen. We started to teach the girls to write their names where they could. We put their badges on them, their names, we told them to pack a suitcase with their things … we didn't know if they were going to evacuate or not. Then we were waiting." The counselors tried to entertain the campers with games until their own rescue. "I did not understand the gravity of the situation until we left on the Army trucks," added Valdez. At the end of the segment, one anchor said (translated from Spanish), "Imagine, they were 18 years old and had 20 little girls in their care." The claims suggesting Valdez and Zárate "rescued 20 girls trapped by the flooding" or "saved 20 children from drowning" appeared to embellish the specific details of the women's experience as told in their own words. Further, the detail about campers writing their names on their bodies was spotlighted by outlets like The New York Post and The Latin Times, which may have contributed to the spread of the more hyperbolic version of the tale when it began making the rounds on social media. Finally, during a news conference on July 5, 2025, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum referenced Valdez and Zárate, referring to them as "two young Mexican women who rescued other young girls." The statement occurs around 1 hour and 13 minutes into the conference, viewable on Sheinbaum's official YouTube channel, following a question from the press about the Texas floods. Snopes has investigated other claims coming out of the Texas floods, including debunking the report that two young girls were found clinging to a tree after being swept away by floodwaters. - YouTube. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. ---. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. ---. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. Christensen, Laerke. "Watch out for Story about Rescuers Saving 2 Young Girls Clinging to Tree in Texas Floods." Snopes, 7 Jul. 2025, Cypress Lake | Camp Mystic for Girls. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. "Death Toll from Catastrophic Flooding in Texas over the July Fourth Weekend Surpasses 100." AP News, 7 Jul. 2025, FAQ – Cypress Lake | Camp Mystic for Girls. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025. Odisho, Taylor. "Camp Mystic Counselors Wrote Names of the Girls They Were Comforting On Their Arms While Waiting for Help: 'I Had to Stay Strong.'" Latin Times, 7 Jul. 2025, "Sheinbaum Reconoce a Mexicanas que Rescataron a Varias Niñas de Inundaciones en Texas." N+, 7 Jul. 2025, "Two Camp Mystic Counselors from Mexico Describe Managing Campers through the Texas Floods." Los Angeles Times, 8 Jul. 2025,
