As Floods Hit, Key Roles Were Vacant At National Weather Servce Offices In Texas

[hatrack]

Crucial positions at the local offices of the National Weather Service were unfilled as severe rainfall inundated parts of Central Texas on Friday morning, prompting some experts to question whether staffing shortages made it harder for the forecasting agency to coordinate with local emergency managers as floodwaters rose.

Texas officials appeared to blame the Weather Service for issuing forecasts on Wednesday that underestimated how much rain was coming. But former Weather Service officials said the forecasts were as good as could be expected, given the enormous levels of rainfall and the storm’s unusually abrupt escalation. The staffing shortages suggested a separate problem, those former officials said — the loss of experienced people who would typically have helped communicate with local authorities in the hours after flash flood warnings were issued overnight.

The shortages are among the factors likely to be scrutinized as the death toll climbs from the floods. Separate questions have emerged about the preparedness of local communities, including Kerr County’s apparent lack of a local flood warning system. The county, roughly 50 miles northwest of San Antonio, is where many of the deaths occurred.

In an interview, Rob Kelly, the Kerr County judge and its most senior elected official, said the county did not have a warning system because such systems are expensive, and local residents are resistant to new spending. “Taxpayers won’t pay for it,” Mr. Kelly said. Asked if people might reconsider in light of the catastrophe, he said, “I don’t know.”

EDIT

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/05/us/politics/texas-floods-warnings-vacancies.html

[hatrack]

1. No Meteorologist In Charge, No Senior Hydrologist, Staff Forecaster Or Warning Coordination Meteorologist

EDIT

Flavelle lists several Weather Service positions that are vacant in that part of Texas, including meteorologist in charge, senior hydrologist, staff forecaster, science officer, and warning coordination meteorologist.

That’s right. There was no meteorologist in charge. And there was no warning coordination meteorologist to liaison with county and state officials. The warning job became vacant on April 30 because the person who held it took the early retirement package that Trump and DOGE offered to federal workers in lieu of being fired later. And the Trump administration did not hire a replacement.

EDIT/END

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/5/2327621/-Trump-administration-s-cuts-to-the-National-Weather-Service-contributed-to-the-Texas-flood-disaster?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

[mwmisses4289]

2. Love how texas officials are still trying to blame the NWS for their callous incompetence.

Several threads here on DU with links to local reporting indicate that the NWS issued warnings about the possibility of flooding some days before, and issued one of the earliest warnings at about 1a.m. on the 3rd. Kerr County officials didn't follow up until after 5a.m., some four hours after the NWS had issued their alert.

Put on your big boy pants, repubs, and acknowledge you fucked up big time.

[democrank]

3. Criminals....all of those responsible for this horrible calamity

Hope the family and friends of the deceased find comfort and the family and friends of the missing get good news.

[sop]

4. "Rob Kelly said the county did not have a warning system because such systems are expensive,

and local residents are resistant to new spending. 'Taxpayers won’t pay for it.'"

Spending billion$ on building walls, stationing troops along the southern border and hiring 10,000 ICE goons to round up, incarcerate and deport their hispanic immigrant neighbors is ok - they're not "resistant" to that - but protecting the lives of children is too expensive.

[gab13by13]

6. Well said,

Saying it was too expensive is a cop out.

[gab13by13]

5. Saying that the residents wouldn't pay for an expensive warning system

is a bullshit cop out.

Our small town has a big creek running through the middle of it. We got tired of flooding so back in the 60's we partnered with the Army Corps of Engineers to build our dyke system and we have not flooded out since.

When out town needs improvements to our water system or sewage system our bills go up to pay for them. We are right now replacing our cast iron water pipes that are causing asbestos in our drinking water above accepted levels.

If our Volunteer Fire department needs a new Engine we put on a fund drive.

I ask the question to Texans, was refusing to pay for a warning system worth it?

[SARose]

7. It appears there wasn't a coordinated plan to evacuate

The camps and the RV parks along the river.

I don’t know this for a fact. This is my opinion based on information I received by folks on the ground.

Why? Complacency? Been a while since the last catastrophe. This part of Texas has been in serious drought for years.

The little town of Sattler, Tx evacuated everyone along the Guadalupe River on Saturday. The NWS issued a river flood warning and this very small town got to work. The flooding along this stretch of the Guadalupe River is not from Kerrville. Sattler is just below the Canyon Lake dam. The water from Kerrville, Hunt and Ingram has been contained in the lake. The flooding in Sattler all the way to Gruene was not nearly as bad as Kerr County.

The focus right now continues to be search and rescue. Authorities don’t know exactly how many are missing because of day trippers to the hill country.

Once recovery is finished, people in Kerr County and the State need to know what failed and what can be done to mitigate a disaster in the future.

Btw not one word about FEMA helping anyone yet. Abbott told people to register with a Texas.gov website to get the ball rolling. After Ike, we registered directly with FEMA.

I think a lot of people don’t realize FEMA may not be there for them. We’ll wait and see since Abbott, Patrick, et al are such good buddies with the Prez. I’m not holding my breath.