The National Weather Service shared a timeline of alerts sent ahead of catastrophic flooding in Texas after an NYT report questioned whether staffing shortages may have made it harder for forecasters to coordinate responses with local emergency management officials.
The NWS said that on the morning of July 3, the office in Austin/San Antonio held forecast briefings for emergency management and issued a Flood Watch that afternoon. The NWS said 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."
An unedited timeline provided by the NWS is below.
The NWS said it was "heartbroken by the tragic loss of life in Kerr County" and that it "remains committed to our mission to serve the American public through our forecasts and decision support services."
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Saturday it was difficult for forecasters to predict just how much rain would fall. She said the Trump administration would make it a priority to upgrade National Weather Service technology used to deliver warnings.
Local NWS office had extra staffers
NWS Meteorologist Jason Runyen said the National Weather Service office in New Braunfels, which delivers forecasts for Austin, San Antonio and the surrounding areas, had extra staff on duty during the storms.
Where the office would typically have two forecasters on duty during clear weather, they had up to five on staff.
“There were extra people in here that night, and that's typical in every weather service office — you staff up for an event and bring people in on overtime and hold people over,” Runyen said.
Kerr County has no flood warning system
Officials in Texas are facing growing scrutiny over a lack of a reliable warning system in the area.
During a news conference early Friday morning, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said he didn't know why the camps hadn't been evacuated, but that the county did not have an early warning system or outdoor sirens to alert people to flooding conditions.
“We’ve looked into it before … The public reeled at the cost,” Kelly said.
He said he didn’t know what kind of safety and evacuation plans the camps may have had.
“What I do know is the flood hit the camp first, and it came in the middle of the night. I don’t know where the kids were," he said. "I don’t know what kind of alarm systems they had. That will come out in time."
KXAN-TV, the NBC affiliate in Austin, reported that in 2018, Kerr County and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority applied for a $1 million grant for a flood warning system, but the grant was not selected. Citing meeting minutes, KXAN said the county was still pursuing grant options in 2020 and 2023.
NWS alerts triggered Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) on enabled mobile devices, but many summer camps do not allow campers to bring mobile devices to camp.
U.S. Rep. Castro calls for investigation into NWS staffing
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), a representative from San Antonio, discussed the potential role missing personnel could have played on CNN State of the Union.
"I don't think it's helpful to have missing key personnel from the National Weather Service not in place to help prevent these tragedies," Castro said. "When you have flash flooding, you know, there is a risk that you won't have the personnel to make that, do that analysis, do the predictions in the best way, and it could lead to tragedy."
Castro said he doesn't know "conclusively" that staffing was part of the problem, "but I do think that it should be investigated, and having, you know, not having enough personnel is never helpful."
How to help with Central Texas flood relief
Join NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 in our efforts to help those whose lives have been upended by recent storms and record flooding, as well as countless other crises. You can help by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your financial donation helps provide shelter, meals, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning and other assistance during disasters like the one in Texas.
In response to questions about what people can do to help the area recover from the deadly flood, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, a 501(c)(3) charity serving the Texas Hill Country, has established a relief fund to support vetted local response, relief and recovery efforts. Organizers said all donations go directly to organizations working on the front lines of the July 4 flooding emergency. All donations are tax-deductible, and you will receive a receipt for your gift. To learn more or donate, visit the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country here.