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- Lost in the Flood
Sepideh requested a thread about the Texas flooding. Here’s the Guardian live blog. Trump sounds all-in on a response, with Kristi Noem heading it up.
Officials defended their preparations for severe weather and their response but said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was, in effect, the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.
One National Weather Service (NWS) forecast this week had called for only 3-6in (76-152mm) of rain, said Kidd, of the Texas division of emergency management.
“It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,” he said.
Saturday’s deaths renewed questions about whether it was wise for the Trump administration to implement deep budget and job cuts at the NWS – among other federal government agencies – since his second presidency began in January.
One story I saw said that the Guadalupe River in the Kerrville area, which is northwest of San Antonio is dotted with youth camps that of course were probably full over the July 4th holiday.
I’m assuming what will happen here is a full response from the federal government, since this is a red part of a red state, and total denial about any impact of National Weather Service cuts. There will be some miraculous stories of survival that will be chalked up to a merciful God, the same deity that chose to kill almost 30 young girls at one of the camps.
Another easy prediction is that Democrats will have a problem doing what Republicans would do in the same circumstance, which is to make some political hay from a tragedy. There’s plenty that can be made here, since the rise of more severe weather events means we should be giving the NWS more money, not less.
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