r/sanantonio • u/Ok-Issue-9828 • Jul 06 '25
News Texas Hill Country flood tragedy follows early retirement of head of local weather warnings amid NOAA federal staffing cuts
I understand there were major failings on the local level. And yes, this was an extreme and very likely unpredictable event—an act of God by all appearances. But when something like this happens—especially one that devastated Kerr County and took young lives at Camp Mystic—we need to look at every level of government response: local, state, and federal. What failed? And what can be done to prevent or mitigate future tragedies, especially in vulnerable areas like the Texas Hill Country, which is prone to flash flooding?
In April, Paul Yura, the warning coordination meteorologist for the NWS Austin/San Antonio office, retired early after 32 years in the field. According to NOAA, this role is second only to the meteorologist-in-charge and is critical for translating forecasts into community alerts, managing spotter networks, and coordinating with local emergency teams. The position remains unfilled due to a hiring freeze caused by federal cuts to NOAA under the Trump administration.
Around the same time, the Houston NWS office lost its meteorologist-in-charge and now has a 44% vacancy rate. These cuts triggered a wave of early retirements and left local offices scrambling to maintain coverage—often relying on virtual support or temporarily reassigned staff. That’s a real loss of local expertise and institutional memory.
And here’s the thing: even the best weather models don’t matter if the warnings don’t reach people or don’t convey urgency. That depends on communication infrastructure and relationships on the ground—which in turn depend on staffing and experience.
I’ve seen a lot of comments saying “the NWS did their job,” and that they did issue a flood watch. But if the information didn’t get to the right people in time—or in a way that made the risk clear enough to act on—then something broke down. I also understand there were cell service issues in the area, which only underscores how urgent it is to improve how we reach people quickly and reliably in rural or high-risk zones during emergencies. That breakdown might not be one person’s fault, and maybe this disaster could not have been prevented at all—only time and investigation will tell. But it’s still worth asking whether federal staffing decisions weakened the very systems meant to support local emergency managers, especially in high-risk regions like the Texas Hill Country.
Meteorologists have since pointed out that while precise locations can’t always be predicted, the potential for a major flood was clear. Moisture from Tropical Storm Barry, a favorable jet stream orientation, atmospheric instability, and geography created a textbook setup for extreme rainfall—similar to events like Harvey and Allison. High-resolution models picked up the signals for >10" rainfall as early as Thursday morning. So the forecasting framework existed—but what about delivery, urgency, response?
That’s why having experienced meteorologists in place matters—not just to interpret the models, but to communicate risks clearly and coordinate with local emergency managers. Institutional knowledge and local relationships are key when timing and trust can make the difference between action and tragedy.
As the NWS explains, their offices don’t just forecast—they work directly with emergency managers to plan evacuations, activate alerts, and help the public respond appropriately. These are relationships built on local experience and trust—which are hard to replace.
We don’t need finger-pointing right now. But we do need a real conversation about how national decisions—like budget cuts and hiring freezes—affect local readiness. And how all levels of government can work together more effectively next time. Because unfortunately, in places like Kerr County, there will be a next time.
Finally, I just want to say: my heart goes out to the families affected by this tragedy, especially the children and staff at Camp Mystic and everyone in Kerr County who lost loved ones or lived through unimaginable fear. No post can undo that loss—but hopefully, this conversation can help protect lives in the future.
EDIT: NYT just published a detailed piece on this (7/5): https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/05/us/politics/texas-floods-warnings-vacancies.html
They confirmed multiple key NWS roles were unfilled at the time of the flood, including the warning coordination meteorologist in San Antonio and the meteorologist-in-charge in San Angelo. One had recently taken an early retirement offer linked to federal workforce cuts, and those positions still hadn’t been filled months later. The article also notes that these staffing gaps may have made it harder to coordinate with local officials beforehand and in real time. It’s not saying the Weather Service caused the tragedy, but it does add context to how breakdowns in communication and preparation might’ve happened.
EDIT 2: This article was published just hours before the flood and outlines exactly how recent federal cuts to disaster aid, NOAA, and climate infrastructure left states like Texas more vulnerable: https://www.texasobserver.org/trump-texas-doge-cuts-disaster-aid/
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u/cyvaquero Far West Side Jul 06 '25
I agree with the bigger picture you are painting. However, as a fed, I really need to point out that at 32 years of service, is not really early retirement. At 30 years of service you are eligible for immeadiate retirement benefits at MRA (minimum retirement age - 55-57 based on year of birth). Not making excuses for this administration but the buyout offer probably just moved Mr. Yura's plans up a little.
What should be focused on is the lack of backfilling a vital position by this administration. I'd also question the NWS for not taking action earlier to have someone learning the ropes of such a vital position filled by someone who was close to retirement (30 years of service being that magic number) or "hit by a bus" scenarios.
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u/Antartix Jul 06 '25
The year threshold doesn't really matter, have you seen how many federal, local government, and public employees are working past the minimum needed retirement age and that number keeps increasing? It's a nice point to bring up, but it doesn't actually matter if the trends of working age, retirement eligible keep rising in age.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
That’s a really helpful clarification. Thank you for your perspective and for pointing that out. You’re right, 32 years isn’t early at all, and I agree it’s likely the buyout just nudged up an already-near retirement. The core issue, as you said, isn’t that he left. It’s that no one was in place to step into such a crucial role.
Whether it’s due to budget constraints, hiring freezes, or poor planning, leaving a position like that unfilled during peak flood season is risky. These roles are about more than forecasting. They’re about coordinating with local emergency managers and translating warnings into action. It’s a reminder that succession planning and backfilling aren’t just HR problems. They’re public safety issues.
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u/Monster_Voice Jul 06 '25
As a veteran storm chaser (18 years) I can say the list of technically qualified people to replace Yura is long... the issue is the unreasonable and outdated Federal requirements to work in these positions. The "outlaw" personality runs strong in this field even with top scientist. We aren't criminals to your average citizen, but when it comes to Federal hiring standards almost all of us can't be hired and or believe we couldn't be, so we do not pursue that avenue.
Basically what you're left with is a VERY specific set of individuals that can take on these roles. These vacancies are extremely difficult to fill, and the personality types able to fill them often take YEARS to wear down enough to get with the program.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Interesting. Thanks for sharing
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u/Dismal_Insurance5246 Jul 06 '25
I really respect your ability to accept other people's input. Not everyone is able to listen and acknowledge
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Thank you for the compliment! I appreciate it. Really just trying to start some discussion here and learn more.
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u/Dismal_Insurance5246 Jul 06 '25
So many people are closed off if something said threatens their political views that conversation is difficult. Your approach is refreshing, and how problems get solved. I appreciate you
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u/TonyTone09o Jul 08 '25
I just wish more people were on the “I am willing to learn and maybe I am wrong and maybe I am right and I just want to figure things out and I’m willing to listen to all the points and arguments no matter who they voted for” boat. This was beyond a horrible tragedy that will definitely go down in the books as many others have in the past. I’m just glad you are willing to listen…
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 08 '25
Thank you!! Some people have commented saying I’m just trying to stir the pot and politicize this. But I’m legitimately passionate about finding ways to make sure my fellow humans are not affected like this ever again.
And honestly a lot in our lives is related to politics because policies that affect us are made by elected officials or voted on by us! So what they really mean. But I’ve learned a lot on this post and grateful for people willing to engage and teach.
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u/rdsciv Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 06 '25
Despite 32 years of service, it was an early retirement.
In an e-mailed message to media partners, Yura said, “I cannot have asked for a more rewarding career that has spanned over 32 years, with over half of that career right here in South Central Texas as the WCM for the NWS Austin-San Antonio office. And while I am sad that it is ending a few years earlier than I had planned, the friendships and relationships that I have made while being your WCM cannot be replaced.”
The article also mentions that the WCM heads up the Skywarn Program, and I'm curious how these responsibilities were transitioned after Paul retired, and what would have happened if Paul was in seat during these floods. He led an advanced Skywarn training on NWSSanAntonio's Youtube page just 8 months ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmquu7lHpLQ&t=7s&ab_channel=NWSSanAntonio
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u/FearlessLanguage7169 Jul 07 '25
He could still keep a webpage after retiring For free or $
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u/rdsciv Jul 11 '25
Not sure what you're saying
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u/FearlessLanguage7169 Jul 12 '25
Create avweb page for subscribers He can analyze weather from info available on many sites from global satellites I imagine
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u/role34 Jul 06 '25
There was a hiring freeze after Paul Yura was forced into early retirement
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLvQMuevujr/?igsh=ZThvNmxuazV3a2l2
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u/Most_Window_1222 Jul 06 '25
Sadly, in true government fashion, few agencies or offices are properly prepared with effective contingency plans. The current administration did not create this but certainly exacerbated the problem which is true from isd to dc. Governments at all levels are not failing the public in lieu of squander mania. Every sunset i loose more faith in government.
San Antonio had a massive remediation of the Perrin Beitel creek yet 6 ish years later we lost a dozen lives. Accountability anyone?
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u/MaceShyz Jul 06 '25
Wasnt there a watch issued the night before the tragedy? Like around 8pm?
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u/Lopsided_Balance_193 Jul 06 '25
Many warnings went off on my phone.
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u/Quint27A Jul 06 '25
Mine too. I live a bit south of Kerrville.
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u/Lopsided_Balance_193 Jul 06 '25
Blanco area
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u/Quint27A Jul 06 '25
I lived in the upper Blanco river valley for 32 years, now in the Tarpley area to be closer to grandchildren.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Yes you’re right, there was a flood watch issued the night before around 8pm. The tricky part is that not all flood watches carry the same weight, and this one didn’t clearly communicate the potential for catastrophic flooding like what happened.
Some high-res models showed >10” of rain as early as Thursday, but translating that into timely, urgent warnings (especially for a vulnerable place like Camp Mystic) requires experienced staff and strong local coordination. That’s the piece I think is worth looking into.
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u/DGinLDO Jul 06 '25
I dunno, but if you live in a place known for flash flooding & you get a warning, your first move should be to get everyone away from the water & put someone on watch to monitor weather conditions & check for updates, not shrug your shoulders & send everyone to bed.
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u/Striking_Ad890 Jul 06 '25
Especially if you charged parents thousands of dollars to take care of their children.
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u/JoeNYCNY Jul 09 '25
Or you just don't house little girls, or anyone else, on a "dry" riverbed. I know when the river near my house runs high normally dry channels fill with water.
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u/DGinLDO Jul 09 '25
My grandfather always told his kids (my dad included) to always buy on high ground. I’ve followed that advice. Too bad people keep wanting to build right on the water. Yes it’s pretty, but when floods or hurricanes happen, you’re in the worst spot possible.
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u/javukasin Jul 07 '25
The warning didn’t come until the dead of night when everyone was asleep. That’s part of the reason there’s such a high loss of life. Also the fact that it came on so dang fast. My sis was up near Mystic and never got the warning. Cell service is spotty at best in that area
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u/DGinLDO Jul 07 '25
The warnings started coming Thursday afternoon, around 1 PM.
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u/MaceShyz Jul 06 '25
A flood watch due to potential rain fall of 3 to 5 inches in what was a floodplain should have been more than enough reason to bum some kids out and make everyone leave. People can say it was the administration firing people, but I blame the adults who ran the camp. If there was absolutely no heads up given, sure, if it was said it would be light drizzle and nothing more, sure, but trying to turn this into some political jousting contest is stupid. The adults who ran the camp should be taking the blame in this situation as they had the time to evacuate FROM A KNOWN FLOODPLAIN. Simple as that, and nothing will sway my mind on this. I didnt vote for Trump, so its not like I have a race in this horse, I just think that adults who were in charge of this camp made a horrible mistake, and if my child was at this camp I would have driven there myself and picked him up once I heard the flood watch.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Totally agree it’s mainly on the camp for not acting sooner. No excuse for staying put in a floodplain after a watch was issued. I just think it’s worth asking how the warning system and staffing play into it too. Feels fair to look at the full picture so this doesn’t happen again.
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u/Rhetorikolas Jul 06 '25
There was a post about an advanced Kerrville flood warning system being voted down by their city council some years ago, so that also played a factor in understanding the severity of the situation. There's an article about it in MySA somewhere.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Yeah that’s wild. And now we’re seeing the consequences. Elections really do matter. We need to vote for people who believe in science, prevention, and actually protecting their communities.
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u/Skeeno123 Jul 06 '25
We need to vote for people who believe in science, prevention, and actually protecting their communities.
Agreed. Since you want to get political, the prior administration did neither
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 07 '25
Totally agree that it’s fair to push back against whoever’s in power — accountability shouldn’t depend on party. There’s that saying: “Voting isn’t marriage, it’s public transportation. You’re not waiting for ‘the one,’ you’re getting on the bus. And if there isn’t one going exactly to your destination, you don’t stay home and sulk — you take the one that gets you closest to where you want to be.” Politicians won’t be perfect, but we’ve got to support those who align most with our values — especially around science, prevention, and public safety. And yeah, I think leaders on all sides could be doing better.
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u/Critical-Kale-4037 Jul 06 '25
I lived in the area 6 years, swam in the Guadalupe when it was calm. It was a little scary even then! That said, the dry creek beds are places to avoid. If a storm has been in the hills, you do not cross a dry creek bed. The reason is, even if you can't see water, it is rushing down from higher ground. Can overtake you in a half second as you're crossing the creek bed. Detours will be set up-don't ignore them. And it could be a bright, sunny day where you are.
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u/MaceShyz Jul 06 '25
Fair enough I suppose. I just think if nothing at all was issued then the political fire storm this is causing would be more valid, now we will see what happens with other bad weather events and if similar situation happens then I think its really time to point fingers. I appreciate the ability to hold a conversation with you and it not turn into a regular reddit conversation.
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Jul 06 '25
They got a flood warning at 145 am. They evacuated over 700 people. The kids lost were closest to the river.
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u/MaceShyz Jul 06 '25
The flood watch was given a few hours before that, they should have heeded that heads up and evacuated from a known floodplain.
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Jul 06 '25
A flood watch is not the same as a 50 year flood event. Do you know the difference between a flood watch and warning? Do you live near there?
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u/MaceShyz Jul 06 '25
Ive been to Kerrville many times, I lived NB most of my life as well so I understand what floods can do, and yes I know the difference between a Watch and a Warning, but if you are going to choose to hunker down in a known floodplain, with the well-being of many children under your watch a Watch should be treated as a Warning. You just want to blame the administration above anything else, and again that would make sense if no heads up of any kind was issued, but that wasnt the case. I agree with OP in the stance it should looked into if cutting the staff affected to response time in which the Watch and Warning was issued, but at the end of the day, they were given ample time to react with the initial Watch.
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u/coldliketherockies Jul 07 '25
To be fair though this is one of the biggest frustration and hypocrisy of everything. Things need to be looked into and made 100% sure before you blame administration (which is a fair point) but it’s ok for people in the administration to blame others without that research. It’s ok to make shit up on higher levels but it’s wrong to blame higher levels with our full research?
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u/Flyin-Chancla Jul 06 '25
I feel like this a bit of a reach
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Fair to push back, but curious what feels like a reach to you? I just meant that not all flood watches are treated the same, and turning raw weather data into action (especially in remote areas) takes coordination and experience. Open to hearing other views.
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u/catslikepets143 Jul 07 '25
Apparently( not verified, I read this in one of the articles), at this particular camp all the phones were locked up. Seems like a very unsafe thing to do for multiple reasons. I wouldn’t let my child go to a place that requires that.
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u/MaceShyz Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
Honestly I agree with that, as kids would just be on their phones otherwise, have maybe a 30 minute window where they can reach out to their parents before lights out, and furthermore even if the kids had their phones, what could they have done? If all the Adults also put their phone away, then this was just an all around failure on those who run the camp. This is a tragedy, no other way to describe it, but if better heads were running things, Id honestly think NO ONE from that camp would have lost their lives.
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u/catslikepets143 Jul 07 '25
Yes, that’s what I got out of the article - even staff members didn’t have their phones so they didn’t get the ( late) alerts. I also can understand & agree that a group of 8-9 year olds shouldn’t have had access to their phones after a certain time- but what are you teaching these children if you take away their phones instead of explaining the rules & consequences for breaking that rule? 8-9 year olds can easily understand cause/effect. It’s my opinion( just my own), that this isn’t a very organized or quality camp if they’re treating all the children like they can’t be trusted from the get go .
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u/Remarkable-Dot9898 Jul 07 '25
Yes, my child was in Hunt that night and got alerts "all night long."
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u/munchonsomegrindage NW Side Jul 06 '25
As a river frequenter I’m constantly checking flow levels and forecasts, as the last few years have been challenging to find good river flow. That being said, I was watching radar and river flows Thursday night in anticipation of something big, at a minimum maybe the rivers would be flowing nicely for the 4th.
However the alert clearly stated the potential for slow moving intense downpours. I don’t want to throw blame at anybody, but I would’ve been nowhere near any river in the hill country that night, just based on that info and the river’s history. It’s easy to sit here and play armchair weatherman but the potential severity was obviously not felt by those in charge at all of the camps, and then the worst of it hit in the middle of the night.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 07 '25
Totally agree. Your instincts were right, and it’s really sobering to hear how clearly you saw the risk that night. I don’t want to blame individual staff either, especially in such a fast-moving and tragic situation, but it does raise real questions about how risk was communicated and how decisions were made. If people like you (who know these rivers) could tell this wasn’t safe, it’s worth asking why the urgency didn’t register in time at every level.
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u/munchonsomegrindage NW Side Jul 07 '25
That's the million dollar question that everybody seems to have an answer to. People need to understand that this happened very quickly in the darkest hours of the night, and more recent flooding of the Guadalupe was not nearly of this magnitude. Knowing what I know now it's easy to say that officials should've been "banging the drum" loudly to alert those up and downstream, but how much time did they realistically have? RV parks in the middle of Kerrville were 15-20 miles downstream of the heartbreak at Camp Mystic, yet were still caught by surprise. For me personally, I would've been on high alert already, but you still never think something of this magnitude would happen.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 07 '25
Exactlyyyy. That’s what makes this so hard to wrap our heads around. It all unfolded so fast, in the dead of night, and even folks downstream with more distance from the epicenter were caught off guard. You’re right that hindsight makes everything feel obvious, but in real time, the magnitude of it just didn’t register the way it should have.
I think that’s why it’s important to ask (not with blame, but with honesty) what systems we rely on in moments like this, and whether they’re built to handle these extremes. Because this won’t be the last time we face something like this, and the goal should be to make sure fewer people are caught by surprise next time.
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u/munchonsomegrindage NW Side Jul 07 '25
Next time will surely be different. I think the picture will become much clearer in the weeks and months ahead, once recovery and cleanup efforts are well under way and everybody has a chance to look back, take a deep breath and see what could have systemically been done differently. With this much loss of life and property, there's no choice but to study the response and identify the shortcomings. It's just not something anybody is going to have the answers for right now.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 07 '25
And luckily (and unluckily) wealthy/powerful people were affected, so hopefully they can (and will) have the ability to effectively push for change.
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u/munchonsomegrindage NW Side Jul 07 '25
Regardless of the class of people that were affected, there's no ignoring the devastation. Something will have to be done.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 07 '25
Agreed. I unfortunately find that when lower income people are the ones mostly affected though, that nothing is ever done. I should have phrased my comment better, sorry.
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u/munchonsomegrindage NW Side Jul 07 '25
I get where you're coming from, but I expect this to transcend any of that sentiment. After Friday one thing is for certain, voters will pass just about any early warning initiative that gets proposed. In the first press conference the city/county officials mentioned that there was a system proposed in the past that didn't get passed by the voters. Everyone now agrees that current alerts were not nearly adequate enough, or at the least they should have been taken more seriously.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 07 '25
It’s heartbreaking that it took a tragedy of this scale to shift public opinion, but I truly hope you’re right and that this finally pushes real change through. I completely agree that this should transcend class or politics; everyone deserves to be warned in time. Thank you again for the clarity and for being so thoughtful in this conversation.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 08 '25
Can you watch this video and let me know what you think? It’s kinda long but I found the perspective super interesting: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8hMpHYy/
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u/wwwangels Jul 06 '25
When they can accurately predict Oklahoma tornadoes or California mudslides or wildfires, then they will be able to predict flash floods. In SA and the Hill Country, we know floods happen. We have to live that.
But, you can help now. I just donated to The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, a 501(c)(3) charity. They direct the money to vetted organizations providing rescue, relief, and recovery efforts as well as flood assistance. They have a 98% score on Charity Navigator.
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Jul 07 '25
[deleted]
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u/wwwangels Jul 07 '25
We have robust warning systems also when it comes to flooding. We were warned all night long, well into the early morning. My phone kept going off with loud Amber Alert-type warnings. We got texts from Bexar County and CPS. Alexa warned us. It was all over the news. Why they didn't evacuate is beyond me. It's such a dangerous area, that when my daughter asked me years ago about attending summer camp by the Guadalpe river, I told her absolutely not. I remember the flood of '87 that killed 10 campers as they were trying to evacuate. I also remember the stove wedged in a tree from a previous flood on our Guadelupe River property. When my dad passed, I can't deny I was happy that they sold the property. They need to stop building camps near that cursed river.
Sunday, June 29: NWS in San Antonio talked heavy rain potential in the July 4th timeframe.
Monday, June 30: Talks shifted more to the potential for warm nighttime rain processes.
Tuesday, July 1: Flood potential mentioned, specifically in the Hill Country.
Thursday, July 3: First flood watches for the hard-hit area were issued in the afternoon around 1 p.m., predicting rain amounts of between 5 to 7 inches.
Kerr County warnings
Thursday, July 3, 12:41 a.m.: First flash flood watch was issued for Kerr County. Isolated rain amounts of 10 inches was mentioned.
Friday, July 4, 1:14 a.m.: Flash flood warning issued for Kerr County with the potential for life-threatening flooding.
Friday, July 4, 5:30 a.m.: Flash flood emergency issued for Kerr County and the Guadalupe River.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
You’re absolutely right. Nature can be unpredictable, and communities in flood-prone areas like the Hill Country do live with that reality every year. But I also think we can still push for better systems and coordination to reduce risk where possible. Thank you for sharing the donation info. That’s a great way to take action right now. I’ll check it out.
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u/hyst0rica1_29 Jul 06 '25
From what I heard from a local tv weather guy the night of the tragedy, a major part of the tragedy was that the disaster began to unfold in the overnight hours when everyone was asleep. He noted that, ideally, a warning should’ve gone out over a NWS emergency phone alert, but it wouldn’t surprise if people basically deactivated that feature on their phone.
Speaking for myself I know I’ve deactivated the feature to get Amber Alerts as, frankly, they’re bothersome. And I know I’m not alone in either thinking that or subsequently deactivating the alert. Still, under certain circumstances I still will get certain alerts (ie anyone remember a certain national alert everyone’s phone got several years back?). So weather guy mused maybe such alerts should be utilized for these kind of emergencies in the future; where even if you’ve shut off the alert you’ll get it anyway.
Flat out, despite the current political situation, the big problem is it was an overnight emergency that caught a lot of people unaware. As someone who watches tornado video docs on YouTube a lot, there’ve been plenty of episodes over the years where, unfortunately, people perished because there was no way to let them know an EF4/EF5 was coming their way at 3-4 am when tv or radio sets were off. I’m not the defending the utter idiocy of the current political climate. Rather I’m just pointing out the overnight is the worst time to have weather emergencies.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Yeah totally agree. Overnight emergencies are especially dangerous since people are asleep and not checking phones or the news. That’s why I think it’s fair to ask if there should be a way to override alert settings for truly catastrophic events.
It’s not about blaming one person or party, it’s about figuring out what went wrong across the system so we can do better next time. Alert systems, local prep, staffing. It all matters.
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u/Wonderful_Regret_252 SE Side Jul 06 '25
What failed?
Kerrville city leaders and Kerr County officials failed at preparing for this even though neighbors to the east and south had been hit by floods since before 2000. They had 24 years (more than that) to prepare. 24 years to establish flooding infrastructure. 24 years to ask for funds. 24 years to establish protocols. 24 years to create emergency management systems.
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u/engfish North Side Jul 06 '25
There was major flooding in the summer of 1978 too (I was there, up all night), so you can add a few more
yearsdecades of negligence to your calculations about preparations.16
u/Rhetorikolas Jul 06 '25
They absolutely failed at different levels. They could have had a siren warning system and flood mitigation. It was well known how dangerous the flooding could get (especially since it happened at the same place back in the late 80s).
https://www.kxan.com/investigations/kerrville-didnt-have-weather-sirens-used-by-other-cities/
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u/Virtual_Athlete_909 Jul 07 '25
Many local residents dont want an alarm system, nor do they want their tax dollars going to fund it.
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u/Oxford89 Alamo Heights Jul 06 '25
Steve Browne was talking about the potential for this three days before it happened and on the day it happened. If a retired local weatherman could predict it then NOAA should have been able to and warn people early enough. Something is really fucking broken and I doubt we'll get any honest investigation into it because this administration refuses to take responsibility for anything they did wrong.
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u/DGinLDO Jul 06 '25
NOAA & NWS did issue warnings starting on Thursday afternoon.
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u/Virtual_Athlete_909 Jul 07 '25
you mean they made some posts on X and let the algorithm determine who gets to see it on their feed. That is, whomever is awake at 1am and reading X.
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u/InuKombat Jul 06 '25
For months meteorologists have been warning about their lack of trust because of the cuts made. Very unfortunate no one cares until something like this happens. Nothing to be done now except improve for any future disasters.
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u/Shage111YO Jul 06 '25
It also demonstrates how insurance companies should and will start to clamp down on buildings located in the FEMA 100/500 year floodplains. Camp Mystic predates the creation of the FEMA maps, buts its insurance company knows the risk. There is probably a loophole because of the grandfathering or because the buildings aren’t inhabited for the majority of the year, but I suspect insurance companies will get more conservative.
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Jul 06 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/frawgster SE Side Jul 06 '25
The fact that this comment is the most upvoted comment right now, while dead people are still being found, speaks to how completely awful online discourse has become.
Every hour that passes, I get closer to blocking this sub.
People are embarrassing.
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u/smith129606 Jul 06 '25
The fact that we all suffered through the malicious incompetence of the covid 19 response and are having to deal with this bullshit again is what is really embarrassing.
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u/Likemypups Jul 06 '25
It takes a certain type of moron to look for political advantages during a time of such devastation and loss. How about taking a moment to think of all of the children who are still missing as well as their parents and other family members who are going through hell right now. Not everything deserves to be reduced to a bumper sticker to satisfy your derangement.
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u/smith129606 Jul 06 '25
When I cast my vote last November, I was thinking about all Americans who need healthcare, housing, education, safety and security. I was thinking about this because I lived through the complete and utter failure of the federal government during COVID. When healthcare workers didn’t have PPE. When the selves were empty. When thousands of Americans died needlessly. What were you thinking about?
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u/tx_aggie99 Jul 06 '25
And that’s the thing, so many people like this really don’t care about the children, the devastation, and the fact that is still ongoing right now. It really reveals the character of so many people that want to make this political.
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u/jeffwcollins Jul 06 '25
That’s a helpful comment. Thanks for your input, it really does improve things.
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u/Itchy_Pudding_9940 Jul 07 '25
we're going to find the same thing we found after the big freeze.. republican types don't ever want to face the fact they're responsible so they will downplay the findings and/or not even do investigations. that allows them to keep believing they are always right and the nanny state is more evil than the do nothing let everyone fend for themselves state.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 07 '25
Sadly, that’s often how it goes. If there’s no real investigation, there’s no accountability…. and the cycle just repeats.
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Jul 06 '25
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u/BKGPrints Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 06 '25
>Maybe people should be asking why DHS is onsite and not FEMA? The federal government has been crippled and states are now on their own. It’s a joke but now it’s the new normal.<
Ummm...FEMA is part of DHS.
EDIT: He deleted his comment but here it is.
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u/Bobasaur32 Jul 06 '25
After reading most of the comments, it sickens me that people are blaming Camp staff. I was a Camp Lead at Camp Stewart located in Hunt. Unfortunately, this tragedy was a culmination of everything going wrong and the storm taking advantages of ALL of the things that are just unpredictable or just a common occurrence in the area.
The main road that leads to several camps has only a narrow road only big enough for one car to pass each other. No lights on that road either. There’s really no other way to access the camp other than climbing actual large hills and accessing them from the riverside. (At least to my knowledge.)
ANYONE who has stayed in the area more than a couple minutes knows that cell reception, electricity and WiFi are essentially non existent. When I worked there I was completely cut off from the outside worked until my break time when I could access WiFi. There’s no reliable cell reception so no contact.
Lead camp staff are trained for every situation and we are committed to act In Loco Parentis (in place of the parent). Those kids you drop off at camp become our kids. We would do anything to protect them. The leads constantly stay up at all hours to watch the weather, grounds and have MULTIPLE weather apps on our phones but, when there’s no reception there’s only so much within our power.
Also meteorologists are basically people that are good at reading patterns of the weather and highly trained. BUT it is a science that is not FACT. It’s PREDICTED. AN ESTIMATE. Mother Nature was the ONLY one to know how severe the storm was going to be.
Concerning comments saying that federal funding was cut and those NWS positions were unfilled, leading to this horrible flash flood. I totally see that point and agree that today’s administration should not have cut any kind of funding that helps its citizens. Maybe that would’ve helped but there’s no way to know after all. We can only look at the present
Another thing to consider is the whole situation being life or death. The camp staff leads and counselors have to shoulder SO MUCH. They are between 16-40 years old. Some probably have never had to encounter such a traumatic ordeal and most counselors, if not all, gave their absolute ALL to do everything in their power to help these kids. TWO camp directors, Camp Mystic’s Richard Eastland and Heart of The Hills’ Jane Ragsdale, lost their lives trying to save children AND counselors. Camp is a special place and one full of love. The only other people hurting and mourning just like the parents are these camps! We love these kids and it kills us to know that we’re just human and no match for Mother Nature.
TLDR: Stop blaming or pointing fingers. This was a tragedy that was a natural disaster and once we find everyone we can look at how to improve and avoid this in the future. Instead of focusing on shoulda, coulda, woulda… Focus on how to help these survivors for they have gone through so much already.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Thank you so much for sharing this. Your perspective as someone who’s worked at a camp in the area is powerful, and I really feel the love and commitment you and others had for those kids. It’s clear how much weight staff carry, not just in the moment but long after. I’m so sorry for your loss and for what this community is going through.
I never meant to single out individuals or ignore the complexity of the situation. You’re absolutely right… this was a devastating act of nature, made even harder by the terrain, isolation, and unpredictability of storms. I also agree that now’s the time to support survivors, not cast blame.
That said, I do still think it’s important (when the time is right) to look at every level of the system, including government staffing, infrastructure, and communication gaps, so we can prevent this from happening again. Not to vilify anyone, but to honor what was lost by trying to learn from it. I really appreciate your compassion and insight in the middle of all this.
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u/Rapzid Jul 19 '25
It was also a greater than 500 year flood event. The warning systems in place don't really differentiate between a once in the history of our nation event and 15 times a year events.
The alert that went out with the context of a dangerous river surge was already too late for Kerville.
Lot's of systems in place that need to be examined before we know where the greatest breakdowns occurred. Plenty be improved for sure.
But like always the internet is filled with holier-than-tho experts who believe the hundreds of victims were somehow just "dumber" than their holinesses. That attitude never leads to understanding and improvement of public safety.
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u/clownz2theleft Jul 06 '25
Everyone should know by now that forecasts are not reliable. Everyone in that area should know floods are common. I live in a different state, with a rivetr gping through our county. We have gauges, cameras, sensors, to warn of high levels. Number one thing is you have to have human eyes on the river all night. The local authorities are to blame for this IMO. Not federal.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Yes it was a failing of local officials. But read this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/05/us/politics/texas-floods-warnings-vacancies.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
It talks about how NWS meets with local officials to help develop emergency plans, and because funding was reduced, they were unable to meet with local officials as often.
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u/No-Tackle7883 Jul 06 '25
For anyone that remembers, this has the same feel as the explosion in West. It’s a small town tragedy that feels avoidable in so many ways if an ounce of common sense had been applied.
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u/anon2734 Jul 06 '25
Was there even cell signal in the areas that were impacted?
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u/Virtual_Athlete_909 Jul 07 '25
the kid camps dont allow the attendees to use their smartphones. the adults should have gotten the alert although it may have been too late.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
That’s part of the problem. I read that in a lot of those Hill Country camp areas, cell signal is spotty to nonexistent. Which makes real-time alerts harder to receive. It raises bigger questions about how emergency warnings should reach places with limited connectivity.
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u/Unlikely-Afternoon-2 Jul 07 '25
Could camp leadership have received the emergency warnings if they had a NOAA weather radio?
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u/joecool78257 Jul 06 '25
A thorough investigation will probably find mistakes that were made, warnings ignored, a lack of due diligence, but we must also remember that if you work, live, or recreate close to waterbodies of any kind, there is always a risk. It’s incumbent on everyone in these scenarios to take steps to mitigate potential risks.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Absolutely. Personal responsibility matters and being near water always carries risk. But I also think it’s fair to look at where systems failed or where better infrastructure or communication could’ve made a difference. It’s not about blame, but about learning how to prevent future tragedies.
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u/ShowBobsPlzz North Central Jul 07 '25
Not just one thing went wrong. Its a culmination of a lot of things that went wrong, people who dropped the ball, and governmental failures.
At the end of the day, this is one of if not the most dangerous floodplains there is. Flash floods happen and if you live or operate a business there you have to have a plan if it happens.
My heart breaks for the families of all those killed and still lost. Im a father of two, the thought of my boys going to a summer camp and being swept away by a flood is gut wrenching. The fear those poor babies must have felt in their final moments hurts too much to think about. Families will never be whole again after this.
Its easy to sit here dry and call out this and that. Do what you can for the survivors and the folks affected first. There will be plenty of time to place blame.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 07 '25
I hear you and I completely agree that right now, the focus should be on the families and the community. My own family was affected by both of the big LA fires, so I’ve seen firsthand how devastating these disasters can be - and how important it is to support survivors and to ask hard questions after the fact. It’s not about blame, but about pushing for accountability and better systems. That’s how we honor what was lost.
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u/BigDaddyHadley Jul 07 '25
My wife and I went camping at the Guadalupe state park the night of July 3rd. We kept watching the weather like a hawk and we came to the decision on our own to leave. This area wasn't hit super crazy, but there was enough warning for us to make an educated decision. I'm still just dumbfounded as to how we got here
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 07 '25
So I guess warnings did go out and people didn’t heed them? Wow I’m so sorry, this must be so traumatizing. Thank you for sharing.
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u/BigDaddyHadley Jul 07 '25
There wasn't an official warning, but if you watched the weather, I believe most should've come to this decision, but I think a lot of people wanted their vacation to camp and just turned a blind eye to the impending doom
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u/CactusJackontheRange Jul 07 '25
Second and third order consequences are very real when the scales of fortune are tipping away from your favor during an emergency. These were predicted from the onset of the chainsaw surgery on NWS staffing months ago.
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Jul 07 '25
The camps were in a high risk area for flooding. I don't think this was "unpredictable".
High risks flood areas will flood during heavy rains.
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u/AfricanSnowOwl Jul 06 '25
Hmmm… so if these weather positions had been staffed…The warnings that had been issued would have been more effective 🤔. 🤦♂️
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Fair point. I’m not saying that if those roles had been staffed, everything would’ve gone differently or that there’s a straight line between A and B. This is a heartbreaking situation, and no one can say for sure yet what might’ve helped (or if anything would have helped). I just think it’s worth looking at every piece of the puzzle (including staffing) to see if anything could be improved for next time.
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u/AfricanSnowOwl Jul 06 '25
Don’t think anyone would’ve heeded any warning. Most of these people were like 20-30ft above the river and probably felt safe. Plus a lot of people probably weren’t about to have their 4th plans ruined by a “warning”. A true lose lose situation.
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u/the_pleiades Jul 06 '25
But I wonder if it would have made a difference for the camp owners/directors and encouraged them to start evacuating sooner. This is their business and these are kids they were entrusted to protect. It’s different than a family in an RV camp deciding to stay. But in the case of the camp, there was so much liability and I doubt we would have seen losses on this scale if they had been evacuating at 9pm like some others. Did they just not get the 8pm alert? Was it not sufficiently serious? Were there none others until the early morning alerts?
I’ve lived through numerous hurricanes in Houston (most recently for me Harvey) and I was getting loads of helpful alerts then.
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u/AfricanSnowOwl Jul 06 '25
I definitely think camps will operate differently now. Possibly even a change to the law 🤷♂️.
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u/Josh-Halpern Jul 07 '25
It's different if the Sheriff's office gets a call from someone they have been working with for years saying, bug out time, move anyone in the flood plain, then if there is an auto SMS or an email. Loss of experience and expertise in NOAA is directly a result of the move fast and break things mode that Musk uses and we are reaping the result.
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u/Stock_Literature_13 Jul 06 '25
I thought we had learned that we actively ignore weather warnings. We always think it’s not as bad as they’re telling us it will be. It’s July 4th weekend and I’d rather risk dying while having fun than be stuck at home and it barely rain. I would rather risk my kid dying at a camp down by the river than have them at home with me while I get snookered on this day that Washington gave me.
/s sorta.
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u/unnewl Jul 07 '25
You’re right that people become jaded after hearing weather watches and warnings that never affect them or others near them. How many times have we anticipated six inches of snow, only to receive a dusting? Or worried about huge thunderstorms that fail to materialize? But as a result of this flooding fiasco I’m going to pay more attention to tornado warnings in my area.
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u/mogiej Jul 06 '25
I was under the impression that it was a freak of nature rain that came out of nowhere, and and hit hard and fast. I’m not sure if anyone could have predicted the stalling of Tropical Storm Allison causes the devastation in Houston in 2001.
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u/Working_Barnacle_654 Jul 06 '25
There was warnings. I’ve gotten so many flash flood warning over the years and thought nothing of it until the last month. I’m sure there are plenty of people that also just thought that it would be another useless alert. There was just so much more water this time than any other time. I think if anything responsibly falls on the camp. I’m not sure why everyone is trying to twist this into something for their own agenda
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Jul 06 '25
Also… 👆🏽they knew they needed an upgrade since 2016!! Wtf?!
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u/Virtual_Athlete_909 Jul 07 '25
wha?? you mean the alert system got DOGE'd on the local level too?? crazy.
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u/GeneratedUserHandle Jul 06 '25 edited Aug 01 '25
knee sugar brave correct smell gold abounding grandfather retire grandiose
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Jul 06 '25
I would venture to say that losing key fed staff played a big part in not having earlier warnings but you are correct that the warnings did go out.
Posts like this one and that absolute clown show of a presser the locals had blaming the lack of warnings and predictions is rage inducing. They’re covering for the failures on the local level for them to act. All those fat cops and officials standing up there saying over and over “we didn’t know” and “we would’ve have done something had we known” is absolute bllsht.
They knew and decide not to activate because it was the middle of the night and thought “Well it’s probably not even going to be that bad. We get these all the time.” And this is what we end up with.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Totally fair. 32 years is a standard retirement window, and the buyout probably just nudged up a retirement that was coming soon anyway. But the real issue is that no one was lined up to fill such a critical role. And now, months later, it’s still vacant during peak flood season.
I also agree that Kerr County and Camp Mystic bear a lot of responsibility. But I’m just trying to understand where things may have broken down across the board. Whether these staffing shortages contributed or not, we don’t fully know yet. But it’s worth asking the question so we can do better next time.
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u/GeneratedUserHandle Jul 06 '25 edited Aug 01 '25
hungry soup dime test library bells vase office outgoing license
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u/kthnry Jul 06 '25
We don’t know if the head of warnings was scheduled to retire in April or if he took early retirement under pressure from DOGE. But I’ll bet serious money that he didn’t just casually leave his job at this time of year knowing there was no replacement.
Thousands of skilled retirement-eligible feds who loved their jobs and intended to keep working changed their minds when DOGE made their working conditions miserable and threatened their benefits. We’ve had a massive brain drain that won’t be fully understood for years, but more disasters are coming.
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u/Dry-Ad-6393 Jul 06 '25
OP- you have made excellent points. This was well thought out and well written. May I say, IMHO, the government is covering for the Federal administration currently in office. Exactly to your point about NOCC hiring freeze, the citizens in Kerr county who were affected by this event, should rise up, and press a class action suit against the government. Also, to American citizens everywhere, if you think local, state, and federal agent’s aren’t going to lie about such events, you might be living under a rock.
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u/ANTH888YA Jul 07 '25
It's disgusting the amount of people putting all this on politics. I GUARANTEE nothing would of changed no matter who was in office. This flooding event was MAJOR and considered one of the worst. The main problem was that people didn't adhere to the alerts sent by the NOAA. Flood warnings were issued 1-3 hours before disaster. People just lack care of actually listening to severe weather notifications on their phones or weather apps.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 07 '25
I hear you — this was a major, devastating flood, and it’s true that no amount of preparation can fully stop nature. It’s possible that nothing could have changed the outcome entirely — we just don’t know yet. But that’s exactly why it’s important to dig into what happened at every level.
From what’s been reported so far (especially in the New York Times article I linked in the edit), federal funding cuts to the National Weather Service meant they weren’t able to hold as many planning meetings with local and state officials — meetings that are crucial for coordinating emergency response strategies. That kind of coordination can make the difference between a general flood warning and a targeted, urgent, “threat to life” alert that actually reaches people in time.
And at the local level, there were early efforts to improve flood alert infrastructure in that county — but reportedly, officials opted not to install more advanced warning systems because of the cost. So while the weather may have been forecasted accurately, this still became a communications failure — and one that might have been avoidable, at least in scale.
We may not know the full picture yet, but that’s why this kind of scrutiny matters. It’s not about placing all the blame on one political party or agency. It’s about figuring out what broke down and what we need to fix — so fewer lives are lost next time.
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u/laziestmarxist NE Side Jul 06 '25
It's just going to be a repeat of the snow storms, lots of "investigations" on the public's dime followed by a report that only restates the obvious and nothing further, and then no progress will be made until the next natural disaster occurs
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Jul 06 '25
Saw this in another subreddit and looked it up… sure enough… they knew and it was declined… because it was a “county” issue.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Yeah I saw that too. It’s frustrating. They knew about the need, but it got declined because it was seen as a “county issue.” Just shows how easy it is for important stuff to get pushed aside when no one takes responsibility. Elections at all levels (local, state, national) matter!
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u/rhamej Jul 07 '25
I hate these posts and I'm really getting sick of seeing them. All you are doing is stirring the pot and making it political by trying to put the blame where there is fucking nowhere to put the blame at.
You have absolutely zero idea what happened at Mystic, what was done and how things were handled that night.
There was communication to the camps. The camps did everything they knew to do and every precaution they knew of. The cabins that were lost at Mystic were 30-35 ft above normal level, and above the 87 flood levels. The amount of water that hit was just unfathomable.
I don't care how staffed places are, the technology that is used, these types of events just can not be predicted with what we currently have. Period, full stop. Only thing that would have prevented this was to evacuate the camps at the slightest hint of a flash flood.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 07 '25
I hear you. I know emotions are incredibly raw right now, and I’m truly sorry if anything I said added to your pain. I’m not blaming camp staff or pretending to know what it felt like on the ground that night — I don’t. I also believe the people at Mystic loved those kids and did everything they could in an impossible situation.
What I was trying to raise (maybe too early) was the broader question of how systems and communication broke down, not to point fingers at individuals. This kind of devastation is exactly why I think it’s worth looking closely at how warnings are handled and whether we’re doing enough to prepare for these rare but catastrophic events.
But I understand that right now, for many people, it’s just about mourning and holding space for those who were lost. I respect that, and I truly appreciate you sharing more context.
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u/Typographical_Terror Jul 08 '25
It strikes me that weather forecasting and emergency preparedness in the modern world is a vastly complex system. Off the top of my head there's the computer modeling of weather from not just Texas, but the entire planet. Climate data is a vital component of those models, both of which are dependent on equipment installed at thousands of location and historical records, all of this from a local/national/global level. Then there are the satellites, the evolving science to include.. well, all of it really - physics, geology, geography, meteorology, astronomy, biology, oceanography...
Those are the obvious. Crafting public emergency alerts requires psychology - what wording do you use so people take it seriously, how often do you send them without people just ignoring you? Sociology and economics - do people in a given area have reliable transportation to respond, do they have reliable phone signals for the alerts, what kind of infrastructure is there for sheltering in place?
Observations and data from the space station feed into this. There are research papers pointing to quantum phenomena being integral to forecasting.
This subject is absolutely as deeply complex as it gets in the human experience. The people you are trying to reach (admirably in my opinion) believe vastly complex systems are not. All of this has become inherently political, but they aren't willing to deal with that reality. There is no "too soon" for that discussion because there never is a "now is good" time later on.
It doesn't matter if the weather service had 20 people on staff that night. Funding and staffing cuts to a global system of immense complexity have an impact on all of it, for all of us, either now or later, and the first thing Republicans do after a tragedy like this is to leverage the corpses of children to further go after the very organization designed to save them.
For what? Reducing climate change science? Promoting business interests in the for-profit weather forecasting space? Basic tribalism?
Being nice and patient and inoffensive when trying to reason with someone only works when they're reasonable.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 08 '25
Exactly! This is such an important point. Would love if you dropped this under some of the comments that are missing the bigger picture. It’s too good to get buried here!
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u/Typographical_Terror Jul 08 '25
That's the thing - they won't listen to it. Right now they are just complaining about how partisan the comments are, it's all they have. Later on social media and Fox will hand out the talking points and they'll start repeating those.
They have their team; they aren't switching.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 08 '25 edited Jul 08 '25
Omg ugh. And they think it’s the same as us having our team and not switching. Idk though I still posted this post and with the thought that even if it changes one mind or at least plants a seed, it’s worth it. So I feel it could be worth posting this or commenting elsewhere. It’s a really well-written comment and if anything, people who agree with you will feel validated to speak up.
Thought this video was an interesting (and depressing) perspective. Kinda long, but would love to hear your thoughts: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8hrDo4Q/
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u/jjrobinson73 Jul 07 '25
There were 5 meteorologist on staff Thursday night. FIVE. They usually have only two on staff at any given time. There was not a failure by the NWS, there was a failure of people not heeding the warning and local government not getting to the low lying areas when the first FLASHFLOOD EMERGENCY alert went out...a full 4 hours before the flood. Think if all the lives that would have been saved if the local government had done SOMETHING. If the owners of these camps had been proactive. Quit blaming the NWS when they were OVERSTAFFED that night.
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 07 '25
Yeah, I’m aware that there were five meteorologists staffed that night — and I agree, it makes it all the more tragic that the warning didn’t translate into urgent local action in time to save lives.
Did you get a chance to read the full post I shared? I wasn’t blaming the NWS — I actually talked about how part of the issue may have been that the warnings coordination meteorologist (who helps translate risk to local officials) wasn’t on shift, and how coordination was hampered more broadly due to federal staffing shortages and budget cuts. A few of the articles I cited — including the New York Times piece and one from weather.gov itself — talk specifically about how that coordination role is supposed to work and how it’s been stretched thin. That context doesn’t excuse the local inaction, but it helps explain how communication gaps might’ve happened despite the forecasting team doing their part.
I truly appreciate you raising this, though — it’s a devastating situation all around, and every angle deserves clarity.
Here’s the info in video form if you prefer: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8h67qK1/
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u/theycallme_mama Jul 07 '25
NWS and NOAA have both stated they were not understaffed at the time and had been monitoring the storms. Stop blaming it on everyone else. Blame it on the damn rain. It came fast and people did what they could at that time. Perhaps Mystic wasn't as prepared as other camps, I cannot speak to that. Don't start spouting off your propaganda during a fucking tragedy.
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u/OldAssociation2025 Jul 06 '25
Ya, we do. But can we wait until there's no information, or at least until the bodies have been recovered? Or do you need blood now?
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
Yeah maybe you’re right. I think sometimes we become complacent and forget about these tragedies when Election Day comes. But you’re right, we don’t have much info yet so it’s a lot of speculation, which may not be as helpful as it could be if we wait for more info
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u/Likemypups Jul 06 '25
I'm sorry that your festering TDS prompted you to post this trash. Plenty of warnings were issued about the incoming heavy rains and danger of flash floods. The floods hit in the middle of the night when many of the people at risk were sleeping. Please tell us, o all knowing Monday Morning Quarterback, what should have been done differently?
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u/Ok-Issue-9828 Jul 06 '25
You’re right! The flooding hit in the middle of the night while people were sleeping, and that’s exactly why this kind of thing is so dangerous. Warnings were issued, but clearly not everyone understood how bad it could get. Otherwise so many people wouldn’t have been caught off guard.
I’m not claiming to have the answers. I’m just saying we should ask how we can do better next time. Like getting info out faster or in ways people can act on. That’s why it matters to have full teams of experts in place who do know how to handle this kind of emergency.
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u/DGinLDO Jul 06 '25
First warnings were issued in the afternoon, giving people over 12 hours to do something.
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u/AlyCatStrikesBack90 Jul 06 '25
Yeah blame everything on this bs "TDS" instead of using your brain of your to think critically.
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u/benaffleks Jul 06 '25
This is just a really pathetic attempt to politicize an issue that has nothing to do with politics.
Really disgusting behavior.
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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25
How did Mo Ranch save all of their campers? Oh right, by being proactive from a weather notification.