Devastating Texas floods have claimed at least 80 lives, and the White House is firing back at Democrats peddling what it calls "Fake News." Abigail Jackson, White House deputy press secretary, blasted critics for politicizing the tragedy, as the Daily Mail reports. Her sharp rebuke sets the tone for a no-nonsense defense of the administration’s response.
Floods in Texas have killed at least 40 adults and 28 children, with 11 campers still missing, while the National Weather Service (NWS) faces scrutiny for staffing shortages amid new evacuation warnings. The Guadalupe River’s 26-foot surge in 45 minutes unleashed chaos in Kerr County. Local officials, unprepared for the deluge, now brace for more rain and a potential "wall of water."
The floods struck with brutal force on July 4, sweeping away five young girls, aged eight to nine, from a summer camp in Hunt, Texas. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly admitted, "The flood hit the camp first." His vague grasp of the camp’s alarm systems raises questions about local preparedness.
Kelly’s claim that the flood struck at night doesn’t excuse the lack of a warning system. Six or seven years ago, Kerr County discontinued its flood alert system due to the costs. Residents now pay the price for that penny-pinching decision.
"The public reeled at the cost," Kelly said, defending the choice to abandon the system. But with 80 dead, including dozens of children, that excuse rings hollow. Kerr County’s failure to act left communities vulnerable to nature’s wrath.
The NWS, meanwhile, had extra staff on duty in New Braunfels, with five forecasters instead of two. Meteorologist Jason Runyen insisted, "We staff up for an event." Yet critics argue years of job cuts under Trump gutted the agency’s ability to predict such disasters.
Since Trump took office, the NWS lost hundreds of jobs, with nearly half its forecast offices at 20% vacancy rates by April. The agency began rehiring 100 employees in June after dismissing 600 in recent months. Those numbers might not scream "robust preparedness" to anyone paying attention.
Runyen’s boast about extra staff sounds like a Band-Aid on a broken system. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem admitted, "The weather is extremely difficult to predict." Her candor undercuts the narrative of a fully equipped NWS ready for action.
Noem added, "We’re working to upgrade the technology that’s been neglected." That’s a polite way of saying the system’s been limping along for years. Democrats pouncing on this tragedy to score points conveniently ignore their role in underfunding critical infrastructure.
The Trump administration proposed cuts to FEMA and NOAA, including weather labs for storm research. Critics claim this left Texas exposed, but Jackson’s "uninformed Democrats" jab suggests the White House sees this as partisan mudslinging. The truth likely lies in shared blame across administrations.
At a Saturday press conference, Noem and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott addressed the crisis alongside state officials. Noem acknowledged, "Everyone wants more warning time." Her focus on upgrading tech is practical, but it won’t bring back the 80 lives lost.
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd warned of more deadly rains in Kerr County. "There’s rain still falling on the area," he said. His team’s scrambling to locate a reported "wall of water" underscores the ongoing danger.
Kidd noted DPS aircraft are searching for this potential new threat. "We’ve got aircraft flying up to find this wall of water," he said. The urgency in his voice reflects a state stretched thin by relentless flooding.
Central Texas faces fresh flash flood warnings as saturated ground can’t absorb more rain. The Texas Division of Emergency Management urged Kerr County to brace for impact. Residents, already reeling, now face the grim prospect of more destruction.
The White House’s defense, while spirited, can’t erase the tragedy’s toll or the systemic issues exposed. Jackson’s call-out of "uninformed Democrats" lands a punch, but the real fight is against nature’s fury and bureaucratic inertia. Texas deserves better than finger-pointing -- it needs solutions.
