Disaster Impact & Response - At least 173 people are missing and the death toll has risen to 120 in Texas due to devastating flash floods [1] - The number of flood-related deaths in the US reached 145 in 2024, significantly above the 25-year average of 85 deaths per year [3] - Texas, North Carolina, New Mexico, and Chicago experienced four recorded flood events within a week [5] - Elimination of FEMA could leave states like Texas and Florida without a crucial backstop during disasters [7][8] Budget Cuts & Potential Consequences - Federal budget cuts leading to a lack of weather balloons may have slightly degraded the ability to forecast the Texas floods in advance [2] - Proposed cuts to NOAA, including climate research funding, could make the US less safe in the future [4] - The administration's proposed cuts to departments could result in hundreds of billions of dollars in bills and drain economic activity [13] - Cuts to social safety nets are being considered to pay for tax cuts [14] Political & Economic Considerations - Disasters like the Texas floods are likely to spark conversations about the impact of budget cuts, particularly those involving science and research [5][6] - Lack of disaster preparedness due to budget cuts could lead to significant economic damage [9] - Recovery efforts after disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, highlight the important role of FEMA and the potential economic impact of inadequate rebuilding [10] - Political pressure will likely mount on both sides regarding disaster relief, especially since the Texas flood occurred in a red state [11]

NBC Sahil Kapoor reports from Capitol Hill. I also want to bring in Dr.. Irwin Redliner, founding director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University's Earth Institute. Sahill. So, if he gets the job, he is facing the potential for having an awful lot of money that would be needed for some of the upgrades he's talking about gone for next year's budget. Bring us up to speed. Yeah, that's right, Chris. And it's not just Neil Jacobs for Noah related opening. There's also Mr.. Taylo ...

Winter weather. Skiing down mountain slopes, skating at the Olympic Oval, and having snowball fights with your best friends back in the sixth grade. Isn't it fun.Wonderful. I've made some of my closest friends through participating in winter sports and enjoying the captivating cold that the Canadian climate provides us. But that's just it.Winter, especially as it's like in the great north, is only available to us here. Our cold climate has been slithering into every aspect of our lives, shaping what we do, ...

There was also deadly flash flooding yesterday in New Mexico. Three people, including a 7-year-old boy, were killed in the southern New Mexico town of Rio Dooo. Flood waters triggered by monsoon rains trapped people in their cars and homes and at one point swept away entire houses.Emergency crews have carried out at least 85 swiftwater rescues. The waters of the Rio Rio do rose nearly 19 feet in a matter of minutes. The area was devastated last year by wildfires and the remaining burn scar was not able to a ...

And joining me now is Illinois Democratic Congressman and former meteorologist Eric Sorenson. You certainly bring skills to this and understanding of what uh can be such a complex situation with weather. We appreciate uh getting your insight on this.As you know, the governor of Texas may have a news conference at any moment. So bear with me if we have to step away, but let's start with your knowledge about this. uh you have worked along with uh Texas Congressman Moran trying to introduce a bipartisan bill t ...

Good evening, you guys. I have to ask you if you got the dreaded uh control room warning. You guys, you guys, Rachel might not be ready. Did they actually tell you that? They didn't tell us, but they said take our time. Just take your time. Okay. So, this involves um randomly sticking a finger into some mascara and then touching my face, like right in the middle of my face immediately before the lights came on. You know, Rachel, just so so you don't feel alone. I've done that on occasion, too. I just had to ...

NEXT DISASTER. >> NBC'S RYAN CHANDLER REPORTING. >> FROM TEXAS.JOINING US NOW, FORMER PRINCIPAL DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NATIONAL OCEANIC. >> AND ATMOSPHERIC. >> ADMINISTRATION.>> NOAA, AND. >> CO-HOST OF THE SCIENTISTA PODCAST, MONICA MEDINA. MONICA, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING.>> GOOD MORNING. >> JUST DEVASTATING TO KNOW THAT THOSE. LITTLE GIRLS WERE IN THOSE CABINS.AND IF THERE HAD. >> JUST BEEN A SIREN AT 1:00. >> IN THE MORNING.>> WHEN THAT ALERT WENT OUT AT 114, THAT IT WAS, IN FACT ...

As of 8:30 this morning, we recovered 75 deceased bodies here in Kirk County, including 48 adults and 27 children. 15 adults and nine children are pending identification. At present, there are 10 campers from Camp Mystic, unaccounted for, and one counselor.I need to tell my community and those families who are waiting, this will be a rough week. Primary search continues. and we remain hopeful every foot, every mile, every bend of the river.There have been some eager to to point at the National Weather Servi ...

And finally tonight, in these confusing times, you might have seen posts or videos connecting cloud seeding to what is happening in Texas. And and then earlier tonight, the CEO of a weather modification company confirmed that planes in Texas did release silver iote into the atmosphere 2 days before the floods. But he also explained why he says scientifically that does not mean that the two events are connected.Watch this. We're talking about like sub cimeter amounts of precipitation be it in snow or rain fr ...

Uh joining us now, meteorologist and analyst Alan Gerard. He retired in March after almost 35 years with the National Weather Service and Noah. More rec most recently, he was director of a group dedicated to improving warnings and forecasts at Noah's National Severe Storm Lab, which is in danger of closing due to budget cuts.Um Alan, it's really good to have you. Uh what do you think needs to happen now. Well, I I mean obviously the first thing is, you know, just having listened to the story you just told i ...