Death toll at 129
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NWS says Flash Flood Warnings were issued on July 3 and early July 4 in Central Texas, giving more than three hours of warning.
After the catastrophic flash flooding in central Texas on July 4, 2025, users online claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration was ultimately to blame for the flood's 100 deaths due to staffing cuts at the National Weather Service.
Key positions at National Weather Service offices across Texas are vacant, sowing doubt over the state’s ability to respond to natural disasters as rescuers comb through the flood-ravaged Hill Country.
Some governors and mayors are concerned over how current or potential cuts to agencies will impact how the government can respond in the future to major weather events.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem addressed the deadly Texas flood, promising to upgrade "ancient" National Weather Service systems for better early warnings.
DOGE cut hundreds of jobs at the NWS, but experts who spoke to WIRED say the agency accurately predicted the state's weekend flood risk.
Weather model data shows the National Weather Service had reason to warn of higher flood risks. Still, meteorologists say the agency made reasonable predictions.
1don MSNOpinion
As Trump visits flood victims in Texas, know that the National Weather Service may be a federal agency, but saving lives depends on local resources.
The National Weather Service says Flash Flood Warnings were issued on July 3 and early July 4 in Texas, giving more than three hours of warning.
3don MSN
In what experts call "Flash Flood Alley," the terrain reacts quickly to rainfall steep slopes, rocky ground, and narrow riverbeds leave little time for warning.