AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Search teams continue to look for those unaccounted for in Kerr County after devastating floods swept through the region, including at Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls summer camp in Hunt. But as officials field questions about whether the National Weather Service provided adequate warnings to residents of affected areas, Sen. Ted Cruz responded to those accusations.
At a Monday morning media conference in Kerr County, Cruz was asked about the reliability of alerts issued by the Weather Service. Cruz said the Weather Service did their job, and that allegations of understaffing contributing to the loss of life “contradict the facts.”
“If you look at the facts in particular, number one, that these warnings went out hours before the flood became a true emergency level. But number two, the National Weather Service here in New Braunfels is where they were headquartered,” Cruz said. “They had three additional people working that night anticipating that it was going to be a very dangerous weather situation.”
President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, cut staffing for the Weather Service as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leading to criticism that staffing issues there could have prevented those organizations from issuing effective warnings ahead of the Texas flooding.
While the Weather Service Austin/San Antonio did have some staffing vacancies, it is unclear whether those are due to DOGE cuts directly. A representative for the Weather Service’s union told KXAN that staffing was adequate to handle the flash flooding.
Cruz said it is reasonable to question how this could have been prevented, but that partisan blaming is not the answer.
“I think just immediately trying to use it for either side to attack their political opponents,” Cruz said. “I think that’s cynical and not the right approach, particularly at a time when we’re dealing with a crisis and we’re dealing with grief.”
A timeline of alerts issued by the Weather Service compiled by NewsNation corroborated Cruz’s remarks. The first alert of a life-threatening, Flash Flood warning for Kerr County was issued at 1:14 a.m. on Friday, with a second alert of a Flash Flood emergency sent to residents’ phones at 4:03 a.m.
Despite cuts to staffing, Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said President Trump will make it a priority to upgrade warning systems for the Weather Service. Recent reports have pointed out that Kerr County applied for a $1 million grant to fund a warning system, but was not selected.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told NBC’s Ryan Chandler that Texas should have had better warning systems.
“We should have sirens up and down these streams, like the ones they have in Israel for rocket attacks,” Patrick said. “That might have saved lives.”
He echoed Cruz’s remarks that blame is not the answer, preferring to look forward to how to prevent future disasters. Gov. Greg Abbott has already called a special session of the legislature, beginning July 21, to address issues like THC regulation. Some are now calling for Abbott to add flood management to the agenda, as bills can not be introduced in special session without the governor’s declaration.
Still, the disaster is not yet over, as flooding continues and many are still unaccounted for. Cruz said he favors compassion over politics, thanking the first responders and Americans who are keeping Texas in their prayers.
“Thank you to the millions of Texans, to the millions of Americans, to the millions of people all over the world right now who are praying, praying for Texas and praying for those parents going through this grief,” Cruz said. “It is going to take love. It is going to take friends and family embracing and hugging and holding them while they weep, and it’s going to take the church.”