Texas Hill Country Floods Kill 59, Many Missing

Catastrophic flash flooding in Texas Hill Country has resulted in at least 59 deaths, with dozens more missing, after the Guadalupe River surged over 20 feet in under two hours due to unprecedented rainfall. Officials including Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd said many residents and visitors, particularly at Camp Mystic, were unprepared or not reached by alerts, as rainfall far exceeded the National Weather Service's (NWS) 3-8 inch forecasts. Critics and local officials attribute the disaster's impact to both faulty forecasts and staffing cuts at the NWS, enacted under Trump administration efficiency measures. The disaster occurred overnight, further hindering evacuation efforts. Calls have emerged for deeper reviews of weather forecasting, warning communication, and the role of climate change in extreme weather events. Officials maintain that, given the data available, the extent of the devastation could not have been fully predicted or prevented.