In the wake of the devastating flash floods in Texas, questions have been raised regarding the apparent lack of warnings from local officials. Some have wondered whether Trump administration cuts to the National Weather Service played a role, though meteorologists pushed back hard against that idea, saying NWS warnings were timely and accurate. On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back even harder. "Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning," she said at the beginning of the day's press briefing, per ABC News. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas had similar sentiments earlier in the day, saying "this is not a time for partisan finger-pointing and attacks."
Leavitt specifically called out Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer, who has called for an investigation into whether NWS cuts caused delays, oversights, or inaccuracies with regard to weather warnings, the Hill reports. Leavitt pointed to a timeline of NWS alerts, noting that a flood watch was posted Thursday afternoon, about 12 hours before a flash flood warning that was issued at 1:14am Friday. More serious warnings went out about two hours later. "This was an act of God, it is not the administration's fault that the flood hit when it did but there were early and consistent warnings," she insisted. "So, to any person who has deliberately lied about these facts surrounding this catastrophic event, you should be deeply ashamed." Meanwhile, as the death toll hits 104 with more still missing, the AP takes a look at some of the victims of the tragedy here.
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