There is no evidence to suggest that government cuts kept the National Weather Service from warning Texans about the deadly and untimely flooding of the Guadalupe River that resulted in dozens of children losing their lives on the 4th of July. The evidence suggests that watches and warnings were posted in a timely manner, but officials were late to act in time to save dozens of lives as the amount of rain that fell exceeded expectations.
Here are records of the NWS posted watches and warnings. Note that the timeline begins nearly 18 hours prior to the peek flooding.
It should be noted that the Flash Flood Emergency was declared nearly 90 minutes prior to the apex of the early morning event.
Many are pointing fingers at different parties as if thirsting to cast blame on individuals for the disaster. The view from here is that the ultimate warning at 3:23 AM, although timely, likely came at a time when many were asleep.
Did Texas emergency officials do enough to save lives? Could they have evacuated the girls camp? The NWS did its part. They issued the warnings, It is not also their responsibility to initiate the life saving response.
This tragedy certainly highlights the need to fund the National Weather Service and should serve as a reminder that additional unforeseen tragedies are likely to occur and that precautions should continue to be taken to protect lives.
From a local perspective weather watchers are observing the movements of Tropical Storm Chantel off of the Southeast coast. It is likely to bring some moisture into our area on/off throughout the days ahead.
Today: Partly cloudy skies. High 89F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Monday: Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High 87F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Tuesday: Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. High 89F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.