Austin, Texas President Trump’s cuts to the weather forecasting and disaster organizations, which some claim may have made the disaster worse, generated a raging dispute Monday over the deadly Texas floods that killed dozens of people over the July 4 weekend.
Some political officials and experts say the flash flooding that swallowed the Guadalupe River in the Hill Country highlights the need for America to invest more, not less, in weather prediction and catastrophe avoidance, especially as the death toll approaches 100.
The idea that nothing could be done and that this is merely a divine act is not one that I subscribe to. That’s bullshit, in my opinion. Twitter was used by retired Lt. Gen. Russell Honore, who oversaw the relief effort following Hurricane Katrina. 21st century technology is the answer.
In response, Trump and a few Republican friends argue that some tragedies cannot be avoided.
Late Sunday, Trump declared that this was a 100-year disaster. This occurred in a matter of seconds. No one anticipated it. It went unnoticed.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) criticized partisan finger-pointing during a tearful press conference with local officials who were in shock on Monday.
On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged a government inspector to look into whether Trump’s budget cuts made the deaths worse.
In a letter to the inspector general of the Commerce Department, Schumer stated that the American people should be given answers.
Officials and critics alike concur that a number of variables came together to produce a historic disaster. However, some claim that an early warning system may have prevented fatalities by informing people who were in the flood waters’ path.
They recommend investing in improved cell coverage to keep emergency connection with communities like summer camps, as well as commonsense alternatives like river gauges that might sound sirens or alerts for those downstream.
One might assign a great deal of blame.
According to Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s top elected official, Kerr County officials contemplated implementing an upgraded flood warning system in 2016, but the expense kind of shocked the locals.
Many offices are understaffed as a result of the Trump administration’s recent cuts of hundreds of employees from the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency.
Officials acknowledge that some important posts at the weather office field office that covers the Austin and San Antonio areas are now unfilled.
However, as the wall of water roared down the Guadalupe River on the night of July 3 and the morning of July 4, sweeping entire campgrounds in its path, local weather officials claim they had enough personnel on duty.
Trump has stated that he intends to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has historically been in charge of recovery efforts following significant disasters, particularly hurricanes, in addition to making cuts to weather agencies and research.
He dismissed inquiries about whether the flooding tragedy in Texas might cause him to reevaluate that choice.
