Texas, National Weather Service and flood
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Texas floods death toll in Kerr County hits 96
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Texas, flooding
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Cuts to the National Weather Service has ignited debate about the agency's ability to respond to emergency weather events, like the Hill Country floods.
Heavy rain poured over the Texas Hill Country on Independence Day, with the flooding causing more than 100 deaths.Here's a timeline of the disaster:Tuesday, July 2On July 2, the Texas Division of Emergency Management said it activated "state emergency response resources in anticipation of increased threats of flooding in parts of West and Central Texas heading into the holiday weekend.
What were the National Weather Service forecasts? Why is it so hard to know where rain will fall? Did staff reductions at the weather service and other budget cuts by the Trump administration contribute to the catastrophe?
Ex-FEMA officials say it’s unclear how the response differs from FEMA’s typical role in disasters, which is to support states through coordination and funding.