Debate erupts over role job cuts played in weather forecasts ahead of deadly Texas floods
Short answer: probably not. While the cuts to NWS were done poorly, alerts went out in time. And since it was emergency conditions, a full compliment of staff was there. However, Trump’s cuts don’t get a full pass, more on that later. So what happened? Well, not many people in a known flash flood area had NWS radios. These radios are designed to come on and broadcast a warning to emergency areas even when they are turned off. They were designed after devastating flash floods in Texas in the 1980’s. (See Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Texas Flood”) Not having one might be forgivable for the average citizen perhaps, but not for a kids’ camp. Heck, it’s 2025, why didn’t they have a satellite phone since they were in a remote area with poor cell coverage? You had elementary school kids for God’s sake! IN A KNOWN FLASH FLOOD ZONE, no less! Water has to go somewhere when it rains, you should know where it goes in your area. That’s common sense. I sense a LOT of nasty lawsuits coming.
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