Kristi Noem, TX GOP, floods and the demise of our homeland's security

TAT readers,

Well, here in San Antonio today, and in the aftermath of our tragic and preventable flood-related death toll, the moods of Texans are a mixture of grief, bewilderment, and anger at the current administrations in Washington, and in Austin. While that any reasonable news organization is reporting facts, horrific as they may be, both the TX GOP and the Republican administration in Washington, are in PR (Public Relations) crisis management mode, complete with lies, mis, and disinformation. They are in my lay opinion, criminally negligent in the continually rising death toll here in Central Texas. They are also emblematic of our current Republican administration in Washington, where kleptocracy is king. Spending money on citizens, cuts into the graft flowing freely to GOP members, and their oligarchs, across our government. They desire to make the following story… disappear or be trivialized. Let’s look at the real story that they are now running from, at light speed.

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First, the facts

As of about an hour ago, the death toll from the disastrous Fourth of July flash flood tragedy here in central Texas, has reached 90, with many still missing and roughly a third of the victims, young children. The damage, will exceed a billion dollars to individuals and state infrastructure. This exceeds the death toll from Hurricane Harvey, a catastrophic storm that inundated Houston. Depending on whose statistics you believe, this exceeds the massive Texas Legislature’s failures causing our “big freeze” over Valentine’s Day weekend in 2021.

These are but a handful of examples that share something deeply disturbing; failure of our GOP controlled legislature to act on detailed report recommendations by experts, to mitigate our regularly occurring weather threats. In the Trump era, the TX GOP, is in a loving embrace with the National Republican Party’s dedication to their Project 2025 agenda and like the nation, it is constituents that pay the price.

So, what ties all this together with the headline to this essay? It is how the MAGA GOP governs, if in fact you could call their efforts “governing,” at all. I certainly cannot. Let’s begin with our ongoing flash flood tragedy.

A few hours ago, one of our local and highly respected news anchors, Stephania Jimenez of KSAT, Channel 12, was uncharacteristically fuming, at a pontificating presser with Governor Abbott, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and our Senior senator that Texans rarely lay eyes on, John Cornyn. They spent the first 30 minutes of their presser, congratulating themselves and President Trump for what they claim to be an amazing response to the disaster, all while family, friends and concerned Texans, waited desperately for new information. After a half an hour of self-congratulatory speeches, Abbott, Noem and Cornyn, provided little new information and nothing that could not be found in serious reporting by credible news sites.

All three of these individuals are complicit in the failures to be prepared to warn, in case of disaster. The NWS, National Weather Service, whose staff was recently slashed 25% by a combination of DOGE, Project 2025 advocates within the administration and of course, the White House itself, still managed to provide all required warnings, prior to the flood. The warning systems at the state and local levels, were not in place, because that MAGA GOP legislature of ours, voted against it in recent legislative sessions.

Noem, in her usually dishonest, attention seeking role, falsely implied that it was the fault of the NWS for not issuing the serious warnings, a bold and brazen lie. In fact, one nearby camp had been listening to the ongoing warnings and preemptively relocated 70 of their campers to a safe location. The breakdown was at the State and local level.

“It was about 1 a.m. on the Fourth of July when the facilities manager at a central Texas summer camp saw water from the Guadalupe River steadily rising amid a deluge of rain.

Aroldo Barrera notified his boss, who had been monitoring reports of the storms approaching Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly, a recreation destination where an intercultural youth conference had been called off early just hours earlier.

Despite an absence of warning by local authorities, camp officials acted quickly on their own, relocating about 70 children and adults staying overnight in a building near the river. With the kids safe, camp leaders including President and CEO Tim Huchton were able to avoid the catastrophe that hit at least one other camp near Hunt, where the 500-acre Mo-Ranch is located.”

- “Quick action by one Texas summer camp leads to timely evacuations ahead of deadly flood

- The Associated Press

- Adrian Sainz

- July 6^th, 2025

Bill to boost disaster warning systems died in Legislature | The Texas Tribune

Now, let’s look at the state and local levels.

Just a few months ago in a legislative session, the GOP led House and Senate, voted down a bill that would have, “established a statewide plan to improve Texas’ disaster response, including better alert systems, along with a grant program for counties to buy new emergency communication equipment and build new infrastructure like radio towers.”

Tragically for the 90 plus victims, the Texas legislature was too busy debating MAGA culture war legislation for Texans, rather than taking care of us.

“For the last three days, state Rep. Wes Virdell has been out with first responders in Kerr County as they searched for victims and survivors from the devastating floods that swept through Central Texas early Friday morning.

“All the focus right now is let’s save all the lives we can,” Virdell, who was still on the scene in Kerrville, told The Texas Tribune on Sunday.

Virdell’s closeup view of the havoc wreaked on his district has made a lasting impression, he said, and left him reconsidering a vote he made just a few months ago against a bill that would have established a statewide plan to improve Texas’ disaster response, including better alert systems, along with a grant program for counties to buy new emergency communication equipment and build new infrastructure like radio towers.”

- Texas lawmakers failed to pass a bill to improve local disaster warning systems this year

- Texas Tribune

- By Terri Langford and Carlos Nogueras Ramos

- July 6^th, 2025

To be clear, Texas has always had a recurring flood and flash flood threat. I know this personally because I used to have a few acres up in what we call, “The Hill Country.” A mile down the road I lived on, was the Llano River, another dam controlled river that I personally have seen flood horribly. All our electricity up there, comes from the state damming up habitually flooding rivers and installing hydroelectric dams on a series of lakes, called the Highland Lakes, just north and northwest of Austin. Austin used to flood from the same problem and it’s the reason for Austin’s iconic, Ladybird Lake, which is the heart and soul of outdoor life in our capital city. San Antonio’s Riverwalk, also is controlled via locks and gates due to habitual flooding. Everyone in this part of Texas is as aware of this threat as they are of where to find the best bar-b-q. Why this threat has not been addressed previously, is simply that Greg Abbott and his MAGA party henchmen, are too busy fighting and funding their precious culture wars that further disadvantage, hard-working Texans.

So where does Kristi Noem and the Trump administration fit into all of this? Well, my friends, the answer should easily disturb any citizen, regardless of their political identity. The DOGE and Project 2025 cuts to government agencies have long made citizens anxious, regarding the level of service that the government can provide to citizens. At this moment, I do not blame those cuts on this tragedy however, across the government, meritless slashing of jobs without the slightest knowledge of what and who is being cut, can and will significantly impact what our tax dollars will do for us, the taxpayers. In the case of this tragedy, the NWS scrambled additional staff as they always do, for serious weather threats. The steady professionals of the NWS, despite their cuts, provided robust service for this weather event.

Just this past week, a very disturbing news story emerged regarding DHS. No, it is not flood related, but is, and possibly more dangerous than cuts to emergency services. DHS announced that they would be slashing 75 % of their intelligence staff. For those with short memories, DHS was formed just after, 9-11 to provide additional security to the homeland and not just related to terrorism. The DHS six-point agenda, can be seen below.

Those who live in reality, well understand that the incidence and severity of climate change related weather events, is regularly increasing. The GOP’s slashing of the NWS staff, is far more oriented towards denying data about climate change to protect big oil profits than anything to do with our weather forecasts. Don’t get me wrong, we need oil but the level of influence that the oil supermajors have in politics, is great for them, while being expensive and life-altering for hundreds of millions around the world. In fact, climate change issues are the primary driver of the world’s largest migration of human beings, since the end of the second world war. Yes, this means that what most Americans see as immigration threats, are just the symptoms of climate change. Drought, food insecurity, violent competition for resources etc., are direct outcomes of failing to do anything significant, regarding alleviating the destruction our earth’s environment.

EPA cuts, DHS cuts, NWS cuts, FDA cuts etc., are but a few examples of the dozen or so agencies and programs, crippled by DOGE and related slashing. Less than a month ago, Trump announced that FEMA, already slashed in staff by 20% will be “phased out” entirely. With a state government such as we have in Texas, there is little hope that a robust agency with FEMA’s capabilities, will replace the disappearing federal agency. It is not just Texas either.

I will close with a warning to American citizens and legal residents. What occurred in Texas this weekend, will only be replayed across the country when it comes to natural disasters. The details and locations will change, but the increasing incidence of human suffering will not. We just began hurricane season last month and NOAA’s $2,2 billion dollar cuts are sure to have an impact on research and innovation required to address the higher incidence and severity of weather events. We’re not into fire season yet and I believe that we all already know, that seasonal firefighters have not yet been trained and prepared for fire season, due to cuts. Until Republican Politicians grow a moral spine, we are in for some very dangerous and unsupported times ahead. Since this administration refuses to help, we must depend on each other. It really is that simple.

The last thing I will add, is for those who wish to or are considering aiding those impacted by the flood disaster, I recommend paying attention to the link below, from the best newspaper for all things Texas, the Texas Tribune.

Hill Country flooding: Here’s how to give and receive help | The Texas Tribune