As Death Toll Rises in TX Floods, DOGE Cuts May Have Set Victims Up for Disaster
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As catastrophic flooding left scores of people dead and missing in Texas Hill Country and President Donald Trump celebrated signing legislation that will eviscerate every aspect of federal efforts to address the climate emergency, officials in the Lone Star State blasted the National Weather Service — one of many agencies gutted by the Department of Government Efficiency — for issuing faulty forecasts that some observers blamed for the flood’s high death toll.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that flooding caused by a powerful storm killed at least 27 people, with dozens more — including as many as 25 girls from a summer camp along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County — missing after fast-moving floodwaters rose 26 feet (8 meters) in less than an hour before dawn on Friday, sweeping away people and pets along with homes, vehicles, farm and wild animals, and property.
“The camp was completely destroyed,” Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic, told the AP. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”
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Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said during a press conference in Kerrville late Friday that 24 people were confirmed dead, including children. Other officials said that 240 people had been rescued.
Although the National Weather Service on Thursday issued a broad flood watch for the area, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd — noting that the NWS........
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