The death toll from Texas’ catastrophic floods has climbed to 82, with 41 still missing. The hardest-hit area was Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp in Kerr County, where 68 bodies were recovered. Among the victims were 28 children, their lives cut short by a disaster some say could have been mitigated.
Critics are now pointing to budget cuts under the Trump administration that weakened the National Weather Service (NWS) and NOAA. Key positions, including senior meteorologists and hydrologists, were left vacant in regional forecasting offices—just as Texas faced one of its worst floods in decades. A New York Times report highlighted that the San Antonio NWS office lost its lead warning meteorologist in April due to early retirement incentives.
Kerr County officials admitted no evacuation orders were issued before the floodwaters surged. When asked why, County Judge Rob Kelly could only say, “I don’t know.” The lack of warning has left families demanding answers.
Adding fuel to the fire, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, bluntly agreed that Trump’s NOAA cuts played a role in the tragedy. The AI stated that delayed forecasts and underestimated rainfall worsened the disaster, sparking outrage online. Musk, who has been promoting his new political party, has yet to address the floods directly.
Trump has since signed a disaster declaration for Kerr County and promised to visit, but for many, the gesture feels insufficient. As the floodwaters recede, the real question remains: Could more have been done to prevent this?
