The floodwaters in central Texas have begun to recede, but the devastation left behind is unimaginable. At least 82 lives have been lost, with 41 people still missing. Among the dead are 28 children, many of whom were staying at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer retreat in Kerr County. Authorities found 68 bodies at the camp alone, where rapidly rising waters from the Guadalupe River destroyed dormitories in an instant.
As rescue teams continue searching, questions are being raised about whether earlier decisions made by the Trump administration worsened the disaster. Reports indicate that budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) left critical positions unfilled, including senior hydrologists and meteorologists who could have provided earlier flood warnings.
A New York Times investigation revealed that the San Antonio NWS office lost its warning coordination meteorologist in April due to early retirement incentives introduced under Trump. While some argue these staffing shortages predate his second term, critics say the cuts left Texas vulnerable. Kerr County officials admitted no evacuation orders were issued before the storm, leaving many to wonder if better forecasting could have saved lives.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, stirred controversy when it agreed that Trump’s NOAA cuts contributed to the tragedy. The AI bluntly stated that delayed warnings and underestimated rainfall forecasts played a role. Musk, who has remained silent on the floods, faced backlash as users accused him and Trump of negligence.
Trump has since declared Kerr County a major disaster area and pledged to visit Texas, but for grieving families, the response feels too late. As the waters recede, anger grows—not just at nature’s fury, but at the human failures that may have made it worse.
