White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday disputed questions regarding staffing at the National Weather Service (NWS) and whether that impacted the federal response or warnings of deadly flooding in Texas over the weekend.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for an investigation into whether staffing or recent cuts to federal spending at the NWS contributed to the disaster, for which the official number of people who died as a result has reached at least 91 people, including children at summer camps.
“Unfortunately, in the wake of this once-in-a-generation natural disaster, we have seen many falsehoods pushed by Democrats such as Senator Chuck Schumer and some members of the media,” Leavitt said during a White House press briefing. “Blaming President [Donald] Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning.”
The criticism appeared directed at news anchors like ABC’s George Stephanopolous, who claimed on Sunday that he heard there were staffing “shortfalls” in the region impacted by the storm. However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said five NWS staffers were on duty in the nearest field office instead of the usual two.
Leavitt also commented on the staffing shortages, stating that 11 forecasters were working in San Antonio and 12 in San Angelo.
The NWS has additionally defended its staffing and response to the flooding, claiming it briefed emergency management the day before the tragedy and sent some flash flood warnings hours before the storm turned catastrophic.
“The National Weather Service is heartbroken by the tragic loss of life in Kerr County,” the service told ABC News. “On July 3, the NWS office in Austin/San Antonio, TX conducted forecast briefings for emergency management in the morning and issued a Flood Watch in the early afternoon.
“Flash Flood Warnings were issued on the night of July 3 and in the early morning of July 4, giving preliminary lead times of more than three hours before warning criteria were met,” the service continued. “The National Weather Service remains committed to our mission to serve the American public through our forecasts and decision support services.”
Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.
