As Texas Flood Deaths Rise, Officials Blast Faulty Forecast by National Weather Service

[NxNW]

TikTok should be banned for allowing garbage like THIS on their platform, in regards to the missing children from this disaster.

Why do you oppose freedom of expression?

 

[ozso]

That’s true of nearly every place. That doesn’t absolve the folks in charge of their responsibilities to foresee concerns and make preparations for them.

Some camps go pretty deep into the wilderness. Aside from that, the folks in charge likely had safety plans in place. Liability is always a prime motivator for that. But nothing can really be done when it comes to a wall of water flash flood.

 

[Landon Caeli]

Why do you oppose freedom of expression?

I don't.. I oppose the "person" who said those things, if it can even be called a person. Does it have a soul? I don't even know.

I would NEVER say that about an all black kids camp, especially under these circumstances.

 

[Desk trauma]

I don't.. I oppose the "person"

Yet you just called for an entire platform to be banned because something was said on it you dont like.

 

[Landon Caeli]

Yet you just called for an entire platform to be banned because something was said on it you dont like.

Well, maybe you're right. It just makes MAGA stronger when these things happen.

Fight! Fight! Fight!!!!

 

[keith99]

I can relate. I grew up near Mulholland Drive and went to Y camp. If it wasn't fires, it was mudslides, and earthquakes. Fire drills, earthquake drills, and nuke drills. The air raid siren was always unsettling.

2 or 3 decades ago there were news reports regarding a fire near Mulholland Highway that I think caused 2 deaths.

The reports said that The Motion Picture Hospital and parts of Calabasas were being evacuated. I was on a group bike ride that went out over Old Topanga Canyon Road and Mulholland Highway. There were no signs of a fire when we started that morning. Returning after lunch the fire was obvious and we had concerns about what route would still be passable.

It turned out our normal return over Mureau road and then through Calabasas was fine. Well except for people driving over 60 on 2 lane surface streets and the 4 way stop (now a signal) exiting the East side of residential Calabasas was backed up 10-15 minutes or so.

The reports were technically true. But details matter. The motion picture hospital was being evacuated because over half the patients were senile and if everything went wrong (including a wind shift) the fire would get there in 24 hours and they needed that long to evacuate. Parts of Calabasas were being evacuated. I'm pretty sure it was Calabasas Highlands. A small development whose only exit meant going toward the fire. Of course they had to commit early.

There was an older couple. The man was bedridden. They lived in the hills of the fire area. The wife returned from work to get her husband out. She made it. Well made it home. Their truck was overrun by the fire on the way out.

Weather (or fire) reports can't error on the side of caution, or they become the boy who cried wolf. Or worse cause panic and immediate damage, as in this case.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

As Flood Deaths Rise, Texas Officials Blast Faulty Forecast by DOGE-Gutted National Weather Service | Common Dreams

"Experts warned for months that drastic and sudden cuts at the National Weather Service by Trump could impair their forecasting ability and endanger lives during the storm season," said one critic.

www.commondreams.org

The Associated Press reported Saturday that flooding caused by a powerful storm killed at least 27 people, with dozens more—including as many as 25 girls from a
summer camp along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County—missing after fast-moving floodwaters rose 26 feet (8 meters) in less than an hour before dawn on Friday, sweeping away people and pets along with homes, vehicles, farm and wild animals, and property.

"Listen, everybody got the forecast from the National Weather Service," Kidd reiterated. "You all got it; you're all in media. You got that forecast. It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw."

Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice also said during the press conference that the storm "dumped more rain than what was forecasted" into two forks of the Guadalupe River.

Kerr County judge Rob Kelly told CBS News: "We had no reason to believe that this was gonna be anything like what's happened here. None whatsoever."

Many of the fired NWS staffers were specialized climate scientists and weather forecasters. At the time of the firings, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, was among those who warned of the cuts' deadly consequences.

"People nationwide depend on NOAA for free, accurate forecasts, severe weather alerts, and emergency information," Huffman said. "Purging the government of scientists, experts, and career civil servants and slashing fundamental programs will cost lives."

And now, the find out era.

 

[keith99]

Some camps go pretty deep into the wilderness. Aside from that, the folks in charge likely had safety plans in place. Liability is always a prime motivator for that. But nothing can really be done when it comes to a wall of water flash flood.

Actually, quite a bit can be done about a wall of water flash flood. But it has to be done beforehand. You need to know where there is good high ground (which means shelter) and have plans in place to get there well before any flash flood.

Do note Camp Mystic has 750 girls. Trying to move a 'mere' 200 after dark would not be easy or fun. (And it seems the cabins of the youngest girls were nearest the river and on the lowest ground).

IF the highest ground with adequate shelter at Camp Mystic was high enough to be truly safe some of the camp directors I have worked with would have turned this into something rather safe. Well for most of the girls. with 750 the odds are at least a couple will be unaccounted for at some point.

 

[FaithT]

This sounds a lot like a bunch of leftist malarkey. What, tge weather forecasters have never been wrong until Trump came into office? We never had a bad storm that was worse than predicted until now?

One can say the same thing about all the comments the right makes and has made about Joe Biden.

 

[FaithT]

No, he is responsible for gutting the agency that warns people in danger to go to shelters, to board up their windows, and do whatever is needed to protect their homes and their families.
He failed the American people.

Again.

 

[Bradskii]

After reading the thread it appears to me that the area in which they were camping was not the safest place if there was bad weather. Anyone in charge of the camp should have whatever they needed to get an emergency warning. And then immediately instigate Plan A: everyone put things in their day pack, meet at Point X in one hour and transport will arrive to move you out, or Plan B: All meet at Point X immediately and get the heck to high ground on a predetermined route.

 

[keith99]

After reading the thread it appears to me that the area in which they were camping was not the safest place if there was bad weather. Anyone in charge of the camp should have whatever they needed to get an emergency warning. And then immediately instigate Plan A: everyone put things in their day pack, meet at Point X in one hour and transport will arrive to move you out, or Plan B: All meet at Point X immediately and get the heck to high ground on a predetermined route.

I would hardly call this camping. Everyone had a bed in a very solid building.

I just read an article where one of the girls describes her experience. A key item is that these were thunderstorms, and lightning was striking near them. She also described girls running from one building to another seeking shelter.

It is also worth noting that there are dead from at least 2 entirely separate camps.

The last thing I read has 5 dead from Mystic and 1 councilor and 11 kids missing. My guess at this point is all 12 are from one cabin that seemed high enough to be safe until it turned deadly.

 

[ozso]

Actually, quite a bit can be done about a wall of water flash flood. But it has to be done beforehand. You need to know where there is good high ground (which means shelter) and have plans in place to get there well before any flash flood.

Do note Camp Mystic has 750 girls. Trying to move a 'mere' 200 after dark would not be easy or fun. (And it seems the cabins of the youngest girls were nearest the river and on the lowest ground).

IF the highest ground with adequate shelter at Camp Mystic was high enough to be truly safe some of the camp directors I have worked with would have turned this into something rather safe. Well for most of the girls. with 750 the odds are at least a couple will be unaccounted for at some point.

Have you and your camp director friends ever been in a river canyon flash flood? It seems to me aside from helicopters being right there or them beaming out like on Star Trek, there was insufficient time to get away from the sudden torrential wall of water. It probably come on like a tsunami. I don't think all the camp counselors, and climatologist in the world could have prevented it. Sometimes mankind is at the mercy of the forces nature no matter what.

 

[FaithT]

I've never seen the right direct so much abject seething hatred towards Joe Biden, the way the left has towards Trump.

Then you haven’t been looking. Trump himself is a perfect example.

 

[ozso]

600 highly trained and experienced meteorologists and climatologists. See articles linked earlier.

600 out of how many?

I'll answer my own question. Approximately 10,700.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Some camps go pretty deep into the wilderness. Aside from that, the folks in charge likely had safety plans in place. Liability is always a prime motivator for that. But nothing can really be done when it comes to a wall of water flash flood.

Nothing can be done? Unless this was Noah's flood and the entire earth was covered, they could've moved to higher ground.

I'm not jumping on the bandwagon of blaming Trump's NWS or local officials or even the camp staff - at least not yet anyways. I don't know what the camp staff did or didn't do, or what's considered an appropriate level of preparation for a facility like this in that area. But just as it's quite a leap to assume that Trump's NWS were to blame, it's also a leap to assume that they had plans in place and that they were helpless to act on them.

But the concerns about flash flooding endangering the camps along this river had come up multiple times in the past:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/06/us/texas-flood-warnings-sirens.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Uk8.9XXP.X-rvxDOIf5G4&smid=url-share

 

[SimplyMe]

I cant read the article, pay wall. But that being said NO ONE IN THE KNOW HAS CLAIMED rhat shortages was a cause for the people getting caught in this flood. NO ONE. Anyone teying to make this claim is either lying or speculating due to political positioning.

Here is the article.

 

[ozso]

Nothing can be done? Unless this was Noah's flood and the entire earth was covered, they could've moved to higher ground.

I'm not jumping on the bandwagon of blaming Trump's NWS or local officials or even the camp staff - at least not yet anyways. I don't know what the camp staff did or didn't do, or what's considered an appropriate level of preparation for a facility like this in that area. But just as it's quite a leap to assume that Trump's NWS were to blame, it's also a leap to assume that they had plans in place and that they were helpless to act on them.

But the concerns about flash flooding endangering the camps along this river had come up multiple times in the past:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/06/us/texas-flood-warnings-sirens.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Uk8.9XXP.X-rvxDOIf5G4&smid=url-share

Yes, sometimes it's unavoidable if in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes it happens too quickly to get to higher ground in time. The wall of water river canyon flood hit at around 4:00 am. In the time it would have taken for everyone got out of bed and into a bus to head for high ground it was probably too late.

 

[SimplyMe]

I have been looking for decades and no president has received such a high level of hatred and hostility. Not even Bush 2. Have you ever seen a Biden or Obama version of this?:

It is worth pointing out that is not from "the Left" but was created by protestors in the UK.

At the same time, I don't recall any president getting the same number of effigies hung as Obama, in places such as Georgia, Missouri, Minnesota, Florida, Kentucky, Oregon, etc.

 

[Fantine]

I've never seen the right direct so much abject seething hatred towards Joe Biden, the way the left has towards Trump.

That's because Biden had character and patriotism and put we the people first. He didn't cheapen the office with tacky souvenirs for personal profit. Should i continue?