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Time of India

Did cloud seeding cause the deadly Texas floods? Report sparks outrage after disaster that killed over 100

Recent Texas floods led to conspiracy theories. These theories wrongly blamed cloud seeding company Rainmaker. Augustus Doricko, Rainmaker's founder, faced online anger. Influencers suggested cloud seeding caused the disaster. Scientists deny cloud seeding can cause such heavy rain. Rainmaker had a small operation far from the flooded area. The EPA acknowledges public concerns about geoengineering. Regulation and transparency are essential. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why are people blaming Rainmaker? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What exactly is cloud seeding? What do scientists say about the risks? What sparked the conspiracy theories? What happened during Rainmaker's Texas mission? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads How has Rainmaker responded to the backlash? What is the government saying about cloud seeding and geoengineering? FAQs Over 100 people have died in a terrible flood in Texas, and conspiracy theories are once again in the news. Some people are blaming a cloud-seeding company for the heavy rain this time, but scientists strongly disagree. As people get more and more angry online, the facts about changing the weather are getting lost. Rainmaker , a cloud-seeding startup, is getting a lot of hate because conspiracy theories wrongly connected its work to the deadly floods in Texas. The argument has brought up old arguments about geoengineering and changing the Augustus Doricko established a cloud-seeding start-up in 2023, he was aware that he would have to deal with misconceptions and conspiracy theories about the technology. However, he was unprepared for the overwhelming amount of online rage he has encountered following the devastating floods in Texas that have left over 100 people dead and almost twice as many missing, as per a report by The Washington a phone interview on Wednesday, Doricko stated, "It has been constant chaos." Social media posts implying that the floods in Kerr County were a man-made calamity have focused on Doricko and his business, prominent individuals, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), former Trump adviser Michael Flynn, and other influential people, have openly suggested that cloud-seeding operations like Rainmaker's may have caused or at least contributed to the historic flood, as per a report by The Washington technique known as "cloud seeding," in which aircraft disperse dust particles through clouds to cause rain and snow, is still in its infancy. Its effects are too restricted and localized to result in anything approaching the 15 inches of rain that flooded large areas of South Central Texas over the Fourth of July to atmospheric scientists, that is not feasible. Bob Rauber, an emeritus professor of atmospheric science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who has researched the technology, said, "The amount of energy involved in making storms like that is astronomical compared to anything you can do with cloud seeding." "We're talking about a very small increase on a natural process at best."Conspiracy theorists continue to use cloud seeding as a flaming explanation for natural disasters despite this. The hunt for a scapegoat has brought attention to a contentious technology that, despite scant proof of its efficacy and larger social and environmental worries about changing the weather, has attracted interest from drought-stricken Western states and dozens of nations seeking to replenish water Runge, Texas, more than 100 miles southeast of Kerr County, a single-engine aircraft operated by the start-up Rainmaker, based in El Segundo, California, flew on a cloud-seeding mission on the afternoon of July to Doricko, the mission was followed by a light drizzle that dumped less than half a centimeter of rain on the arid farms below. It released roughly 70 grams of silver iodide into a pair of clouds over the course of about 20 run was a component of a deal Rainmaker signed this spring to replenish water reservoirs and increase rainfall across cropland with the South Texas Weather Modification Association, a nonprofit organization supported by regional water management claimed that his company's meteorologists quickly canceled their operations in the region after spotting an impending storm front. Parts of Kerr County received up to 15 inches of rain by the morning of July 4 from Tropical Storm Barry's theorists on the internet seized upon the coincidence and demanded "accountability" as documents proving Rainmaker's registration to carry out weather modification projects in Texas were circulated by verified patiently answering more serious questions and participating in live audio events on X to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of cloud seeding, Doricko attempted to brush off the on X with images of Rainmaker's office's exterior and its address were pushed back by natural disasters have given rise to theories about cloud seeding, with some people thinking that these events could be "chemtrails" of evil schemes to change the weather or contaminate the response, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it agrees with the concerns expressed by many Americans regarding the federal government stopped experimenting with cloud seeding in the 1980s, some investors have supported businesses like Rainmaker, which has 58 employees and raised $31 million in venture capital. Building trust will require careful regulation, oversight, and transparency; it is also annoying when online influencers try to place blame for natural According to experts, cloud seeding alone cannot produce enough rainfall to cause such widespread but certain states regulate or prohibit it. Others, particularly in the drought-prone West, actively support cloud-seeding initiatives.