Deadly floods reinforce challenges for Texas as crisis epicentre
There should be inquiries made into whether staffing cuts at the National Weather Service played a contributing role, Representative Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat whose district covers parts of San Antonio, said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. The weather service has been under scrutiny since President Donald Trump took office, with staffing cuts and retirements hitting the agencies.
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Still, Castro emphasized that there's no clear evidence to show conclusively that the staff cuts impacted the outcome of forecasts.
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At least 20.3 inches of rain fell in Streeter, Texas, about 100 miles northwest of Austin and 18 in nearby Hext. In some areas, flooding started around midnight on Friday morning.
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Many residents in the area said they didn't receive weather service warnings to their phones before 7 a.m. But reports are mixed. Andy Brown, a Travis County judge, said during a press conference that he met with survivors in one flooded area who told him they had received alerts from the National Weather Service at noon, before the event began, and then during the night.
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Federal officials will look into whether more warnings could have been provided, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a briefing. At the same event, she also said there were federal resources 'here on the ground since the beginning of this crisis started, since this weather event did start and even before it came, we were alerted.'
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Climate change has driven more extreme rainfall around the world. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water, upping the odds of deluges like the one that struck Texas.
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Scientists haven't yet examined these floods for the fingerprints of climate change. A rapid analysis by Colorado State University climatologist Russ Schumacher shows the six-hour rainfall totals made this a 1,000-year event — that is, it had less than a 0.1 per cent chance of occurring in any given year.
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Storms are getting so devastating that insurers are struggling to keep pace with natural-catastrophe claims.
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For Texas, this portends outsized consequences — the state alone accounts for roughly a third of all damages caused by extreme weather in the U.S. during the last 10 years.
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The state is being walloped by extreme weather again and again. The onslaught illustrates a phenomenon that's on the rise because of climate change: 'compound events,' when the weather goes haywire in back-to-back or overlapping spells. Compound events can be instances of the same kind of dangerous weather — one hurricane on the heels of another, say — or of different types, such as a heat wave coinciding with a drought.
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From 1980 through 2024, Texas has logged 190 weather disasters costing $1 billion or more, according to the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information. That's the highest tally in the country. The U.S. has stopped collecting data on these disasters after Trump started his second term.
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Calgary Herald
12 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Deadly floods reinforce challenges for Texas as crisis epicentre
Article content There should be inquiries made into whether staffing cuts at the National Weather Service played a contributing role, Representative Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat whose district covers parts of San Antonio, said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. The weather service has been under scrutiny since President Donald Trump took office, with staffing cuts and retirements hitting the agencies. Article content Still, Castro emphasized that there's no clear evidence to show conclusively that the staff cuts impacted the outcome of forecasts. Article content At least 20.3 inches of rain fell in Streeter, Texas, about 100 miles northwest of Austin and 18 in nearby Hext. In some areas, flooding started around midnight on Friday morning. Article content Many residents in the area said they didn't receive weather service warnings to their phones before 7 a.m. But reports are mixed. Andy Brown, a Travis County judge, said during a press conference that he met with survivors in one flooded area who told him they had received alerts from the National Weather Service at noon, before the event began, and then during the night. Article content Article content Federal officials will look into whether more warnings could have been provided, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a briefing. At the same event, she also said there were federal resources 'here on the ground since the beginning of this crisis started, since this weather event did start and even before it came, we were alerted.' Article content Climate change has driven more extreme rainfall around the world. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water, upping the odds of deluges like the one that struck Texas. Article content Scientists haven't yet examined these floods for the fingerprints of climate change. A rapid analysis by Colorado State University climatologist Russ Schumacher shows the six-hour rainfall totals made this a 1,000-year event — that is, it had less than a 0.1 per cent chance of occurring in any given year. Article content Storms are getting so devastating that insurers are struggling to keep pace with natural-catastrophe claims. Article content Article content For Texas, this portends outsized consequences — the state alone accounts for roughly a third of all damages caused by extreme weather in the U.S. during the last 10 years. Article content The state is being walloped by extreme weather again and again. The onslaught illustrates a phenomenon that's on the rise because of climate change: 'compound events,' when the weather goes haywire in back-to-back or overlapping spells. Compound events can be instances of the same kind of dangerous weather — one hurricane on the heels of another, say — or of different types, such as a heat wave coinciding with a drought. Article content From 1980 through 2024, Texas has logged 190 weather disasters costing $1 billion or more, according to the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information. That's the highest tally in the country. The U.S. has stopped collecting data on these disasters after Trump started his second term.
Globe and Mail
15 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
A look at some of the deadliest floods in the U.S. in the last 25 years
Flooding has caused an average of more than 125 deaths per year in the U.S. over the past few decades, according to the National Weather Service, and flash floods are the nation's top storm-related killer. Here's a look at some of the deadliest flooding nationwide in the past 25 years. Authorities are still assessing the deadly effects of heavy rains that caused devastating flash floods in Texas Hill Country, leaving at least 67 people dead and many others missing as frantic parents sought word about their daughters who were unaccounted from at a girls camp near the Guadalupe River. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Hurricane Helene struck Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia in September 2024. The storm caused about 250 deaths, according to the National Weather Service. Many of those who died in Helene fell victim to massive inland flooding, rather than high winds. Helene was the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The storm decimated remote towns throughout the Appalachians and left millions without power, cellular service and supplies. In North Carolina alone, Helene was responsible for 108 deaths, according to the state's Department of Health and Human Services. Raging floodwaters in eastern Kentucky in late July of 2022 led to 45 deaths, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys said Saturday. The floods destroyed homes and businesses and caused significant damage to schools, roads, bridges and water systems. The disaster robbed thousands of families of all their possessions. Twenty people were killed when creeks near the small Middle Tennessee town of Waverly overflowed after more than more than 17 inches (43 centimeters) of rain fell in the area in less than 24 hours in August 2021. Homes were washed off their foundations, cars were wrecked and businesses were demolished. The dead included twin babies who were swept from their father's arms. Hurricane Harvey barreled into Texas in August 2017 as a powerful Category 4 storm. Harvey hovered for days as it trudged inland, dumping several feet of rain on many Gulf Coast communities and the Houston area. Harvey killed at least 68 people, according to a National Hurricane Center report. All but three of the Harvey deaths were directly attributed to freshwater flooding, which damaged more than 300,000 structures and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage. A rainstorm that initially seemed like no big deal turned into a catastrophe in West Virginia, trapping dozens of people during the night and eventually leaving 23 people dead around the state. Superstorm Sandy was a late fall freak combination of a hurricane and other storms that struck New York and surrounding areas in October 2012. Sandy killed 147 people, 72 in the eastern U.S., according to the National Hurricane Center. More than 110 deaths were attributed to drowning, Roys said. Heavy rainfall in several states, plus a larger-than-normal slow melt, led rivers in the Mississippi River Basin to swell and flood in 2011. Flash floods associated with these storms caused 24 deaths across Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee in April and May, according to the National Weather Service. Hurricane Ike struck the southeast Texas Gulf Coast in September 2008, creating a storm surge as high as 20 feet (6 meters) in the island city of Galveston. In all, the storm ended up causing more than $29 billion in damage and was responsible for more than 100 deaths, many caused by flooding. Hurricane Katrina is the deadliest flood event in the U.S. in the past 25 years. The storm crashed into the Gulf Coast and caused devastating flooding when levees failed in New Orleans, where people had to be rescued by boat and helicopter from rooftops. The costliest storm in U.S. history, Katrina caused nearly 1,400 deaths and an estimated $200 billion in damages. Tropical Storm Allison caused 41 deaths, mostly attributed to flooding caused by 40 inches (101 centimeters) of rain that fell in Texas and Louisiana, Roys said. Allison remained a threat for days as its remnants lingered after making landfall in June 2001, causing major flooding in Houston.
National Post
17 hours ago
- National Post
Texas floods: Nearly 70 dead, victims include kids who were camping along the river banks
Article content Article content The hills along the Guadalupe River are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the Independence Day holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing. Article content 'We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time,' Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday. Article content Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept away and clinging to trees as rampaging floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics inside their homes, praying the water wouldn't reach them. Article content At Camp Mystic, a cabin full of girls held onto a rope strung by rescuers as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs. Article content Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp up the road. Article content Article content Locals know the area as ' flash flood alley' but the flooding in the middle of the night caught many campers and residents by surprise even though there were warnings. Article content Article content Warnings came before the disaster Article content The National Weather Service on Thursday advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger. Article content At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and opted to move several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground. At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers also had mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before ending their second summer session Thursday. Article content Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. Article content Article content U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes the ravaged area, acknowledged that there would be second-guessing and finger-pointing as people look for someone to blame. Article content Article content — Cortez reported from Hunt, Texas, and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed. Article content
