Latest news with #TexasEmergencyManagement
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Texas officials question scaled-back Weather Service's flood forecasts - but experts say the agency did all it could
Texas officials are questioning the actions of the National Weather Service leading up to Friday's deadly floods, as fellow meteorologists defend the agency. Some state and local officials say the NWS didn't provide accurate forecasts ahead of Friday's destructive flooding, months after President Donald Trump's administration gutted the agency and experts warned forecasts could suffer. Central Texas was struck by unexpected flash flooding on Friday after torrential rain caused the Guadalupe River to rise rapidly. The force of the fast-rising waters washed out homes and swept away vehicles. It also destroyed Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp situated on the banks of the river. At least 51 people have been killed by the floods as of Saturday night, including 15 children. At least four of those killed were children attending Camp Mystic, and 27 attendees are still missing. Texas Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd told reporters at a press conference Friday that the NWS did not accurately predict the amount of rain Texas saw. 'The original forecast that we received Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3-6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4-8 inches in the Hill Country,' he said at a press conference Friday. 'The amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts.' Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said that 'no one knew this kind of flood was coming.' 'We have floods all the time,' Kelly said. 'We had no reason to believe that this was going to be anything like what's happened here. None whatsoever.' Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice echoed similar concerns, noting that the storms 'dumped more rain than what was forecasted.' The NWS issued a 'life-threatening flash flooding' warning in Kerrville at 1:14 a.m. on Friday. The alert triggered the Emergency Alert System, meaning it would have sounded the alarm on cell phones throughout the area. Cell phone users who didn't have service or who turned off emergency alerts would not have heard the alarm. That alert was issued more than three hours before the first reports of flooding came in, an agency spokesperson told The Independent. 'Flash Flood Warnings were issued on the night of July 3 and in the early morning of July 4, giving preliminary lead times of more than three hours before warning criteria were met,' NWS spokesperson Erica Grow Cei said. While questions may be asked of local officials and their reaction to the warnings, Gov. Greg Abbott and other lawmakers are defending the response after what they called a once-in-a-century flood. 'There's going to be a lot of finger-pointing and a lot of second guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking,' Texas Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican, added. 'There's a lot of people saying why and how and I understand that. I understand why parents would be asking those questions and all of the media.' Experts have previously warned that the Trump administration's decision to fire around 600 people from the agency could have drastic impacts on its ability to issue accurate forecasts. Former NWS forecaster John Toohey-Morales told The New York Times that people could die as a result. 'I am telling you, the American people are going to suffer from all this,' he said. 'Lives are being put in danger.' Despite the cuts, nearby NWS offices had 'adequate staffing' during the storms, CNN reports. However, centers were missing a few key employees due to early retirement incentives offered by the Trump administration in an effort to reduce the government's workforce. The Austin-San Antonio office was missing a warning coordination meteorologist — who helps link forecasters with local emergency managers — while the San Angelo office was missing a meteorologist-in-charge, according to CNN. Some meteorologists say the forecasters at the Texas offices took all the right steps ahead of Friday's floods. Austin-based meteorologist Troy Kimmel told the Austin American-Statesman that warnings were issued in time and that the NWS 'did its job,' even if rainfall amounts were underestimated. 'The sky fell,' Kimmel said. 'It was still the middle of the night, but that does not mean people should not be monitoring.' Meteorologist Chris Vagasky told Wired that predicting how much rain will fall from a thunderstorm is 'the hardest thing a meteorologist can do.' 'The signal was out there that this is going to be a heavy, significant rainfall event,' he said. 'But pinpointing exactly where that's going to fall, you can't do that.' Jonathan Porter, the chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, told the Associated Press evacuations and other proactive measures could have been undertaken to reduce the risk of fatalities. 'People, businesses, and governments should take action based on Flash Flood Warnings that are issued, regardless of the rainfall amounts that have occurred or are forecast,' Porter said in a statement. When asked at a press conference why officials didn't issue evacuation warnings to camps near the Guadalupe River, Kelly said he didn't know, according to NPR. Rice added that it's difficult for county officials to decide when to issue evacuation orders. "There's a balance between do you evacuate and put chaos on the road and potentially risk people getting stuck on a road?' Rice said. "A lot of our operations plans, especially with these camps, that is, the plan is sometimes shelter in place to get them to those known high grounds and then wait for rescue." Speaking from Air Force One on the Fourth of July, Trump called the floods a 'shocking' tragedy but did not address questions about the cuts to weather agencies. When asked whether the government would provide federal aid, Trump responded, "Oh yeah, we'll take care of them. We're working with the governor. It's a terrible thing." Officials are continuing their search efforts as on Saturday night and have already rescued hundreds of people, as the death toll continues to rise. "My instruction to every state official involved is to assume everybody who is missing is alive, and there's a need for speed. Not just every hour, every minute counts, which is why there's people in the air, people in the water, people at the ground right now because they're looking to save every last life and we will not give up that effort," Abbott said at a press conference. The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Texas floods mapped: Here are the affected areas as death toll rises
The search for two dozen missing people entered its fifth day on Tuesday after catastrophic flash floods swept through Central Texas last week. At least 104 people have been killed following torrential downpours that began Thursday after the Guadalupe River burst from its banks on Friday, rising by 20 feet in roughly 95 minutes. Twenty-seven young girls and staff members were killed at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp situated on the river. Maps reveal the devastation seen in Kerr County, where authorities revealed 28 children were among the 84 victims in the flood-ravaged region. In Austin, at least 13 people were also killed in associated flooding, and 15 remain unaccounted for, according to an official tally released by officials Monday. Authorities said at least seven people were killed in Travis County, six in Kendall County, five in Burnett County, two in Williamson County, one in Tom Green County, and two more in Kendall County. In Kerr County, first responders were forced to navigate uprooted trees, swept-away buildings, and large piles of debris during their operations. There were also power outages thanks to 40 downed power lines, officials said. Ten girls from Camp Mystic and one counselor remained missing on Monday evening. The camp reported that the floods had killed 27 campers and staff members. 'That's every parent's nightmare,' Texas Senator Ted Cruz told reporters. Responding to a question about an emergency warning system, Cruz said there had always been a risk of flooding along the river and that everyone would evacuate people if they could go back in time. 'Evacuation is a delicate balance,' said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice at the same press conference. 'Because if you evacuate too late, you then risk putting buses or cars or vehicles or campers on roads into low-water areas trying to get them out, which then can make it even more challenging. Because these flash floods happen very quickly.' First responders had been swept off the road while trying to help, he added. City leadership and local forecasters have been the subject of intense scrutiny regarding emergency response, including the timing of alerts and the dissemination of information from the National Weather Service on Friday morning. Forecasters had warned about a 'particularly dangerous situation,' with between five and 10 inches falling in south-central Kerr County over just three to six hours. Other meteorologists and former National Weather Service employees have defended the actions of the San Antonio, Austin, and San Angelo offices. However, officials have repeatedly said there was more rain than had been predicted. 'The original forecast that we received Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3-6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4-8 inches in the Hill Country,' Texas Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd told reporters last week. 'The amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts.' Flood watches and warnings remained in effect throughout the day on Monday near the Rio Grande River. 'There remains a threat of flash flooding from slow-moving heavy rains overnight and through the day on Monday somewhere over the watch area,' the City of Kerrville warned on Facebook.
The Hill
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Cruz office says he returned from Greece ‘as fast as humanly possible' when floods hit Texas
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Tuesday responded to backlash for vacationing in Greece while flooding killed dozens in his home state. 'The Senator was already in the middle of preplanned family vacation travel overseas when the flooding occurred on July 4. Within hours, he spoke by phone with Governor (Greg) Abbott, Lt. Governor (Dan) Patrick, Texas Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd, and President (Donald) Trump, working to ensure that the maximum federal assets were available for search and rescue,' Cruz's office said in a statement to The Hill. 'He and his team worked closely with local officials and with families of missing girls throughout that time. He promptly booked a flight back home. Given the time difference, he left Athens on Sunday morning and was back in Texas that night. And he was in Kerrville on the ground early Monday morning,' the statement continued. While he was gone, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) met with Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), Rep. Chip Roy (R) and Sheriff Larry Leitha for a briefing on Saturday. Cruz said he spoke with leaders to help coordinate rescue efforts while abroad and help a separate press conference upon his return to Kerr County. 'The flooding we are seeing in Central Texas is absolutely devastating. Heidi and I send our heartfelt condolences to all those who have been directly impacted by this natural disaster. We thank President Trump for quickly approving Governor Abbott's disaster declaration, and Secretary Noem for being on the ground and sending additional personnel to support Texans,' Cruz said in a statement on Sunday as multiple missing young girls and counselors at Camp Mystic were pronounced dead. In a later interview with Fox News, he suggested something 'went wrong' with the state's flood warning systems as the Guadalupe River water swelled without much notice to residents in the area. 'We urge everyone to heed the warnings from local officials and stay out of harm's way. We are immensely grateful to the first responders—both in Texas and from across the country—who are risking their own safety to rescue those in need. As Texans, we must remain united in spirit and grit, and support our neighbors as we always do best.' In the past, Cruz face criticism for a 2021 trip to Cancún in the midst of Winter Storm Uri.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ted Cruz blasted for sightseeing in Greece as Texas flooded; his office responds
While devastating floods swept through central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend, GOP Senator Ted Cruz was reportedly vacationing in Greece, according to The Daily Beast. The outlet reported that Cruz was sightseeing at the Parthenon in Athens on Saturday evening, just as rescue teams were scouring floodwaters for missing people, including girls from a summer camp near the Guadalupe River. Sen. Ted Cruz is being slammed for vacationing in Greece amid Texas floods.(AP) Photos posted online showed the Texas senator visiting Athens alongside his wife, Heidi. According to The Daily Beast, Cruz and his wife were spotted lining up outside the iconic tourist site around 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, a day after the Guadalupe River burst its banks and hours after Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration due to severe flooding. An eyewitness at the Parthenon told The Daily Beast, "He was with his family and a lone security guard. As he walked past us, I simply said, '20 kids dead in Texas and you take a vacation?' 'He sort of grunted and walked on. His wife shot me a dirty look. Then they continued on with their tour guide.' This isn's the first time Cruz has faced backlash for vacationing during a crisis. In 2021, he drew widespread criticism for taking a family trip to Cancun, Mexico, while a brutal winter storm left millions of Texans without power, heat, or water. Reactions As photos from Cruz's Greece trip began circulating online, many social media users criticized the senator's timing. One person wrote, 'This is inexcusable. I'm saying this as a huge Ted fan.' Another wrote, 'Wow, he picks very convenient times to go on vacation.' A third person commented, 'Dude is always gone when his State actually needs him. How does he keep getting elected.' Another user wrote, 'This is on Texas. They vote for guys who don't care so tada…. The reward.' Ted Cruz's Office Responds In response to the backlash, Cruz's office issued a statement saying he was already on a pre-planned family vacation when the flooding began and returned to Texas as quickly as possible. 'The Senator was already in the middle of preplanned family vacation travel overseas when the flooding occurred on July 4. Within hours, he spoke by phone with Governor (Greg) Abbott, Lt. Governor (Dan) Patrick, Texas Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd, and President (Donald) Trump, working to ensure that the maximum federal assets were available for search and rescue,' Cruz's office said in a statement to CNN. 'He and his team worked closely with local officials and with families of missing girls throughout that time. He promptly booked a flight back home. Given the time difference, he left Athens on Sunday morning and was back in Texas that night. And he was in Kerrville on the ground early Monday morning,' the statement continued.
