Sen. Cruz says National Weather Service issued timely warnings, but that serious examination is needed to ensure people receive them
Amid criticism of budget cuts at the National Weather Service, Sen. Ted Cruz defended the agency Monday, saying meteorologists did their job and were not short-staffed during the early morning hours of July Fourth.
"It is clear and documented that the warnings went out several hours before the floods occurred," Cruz said in an interview with CBS News. "If you look at the night of the flooding, the National Weather Service that covers this area was based in New Braunfels. They had, not only did they not have a shortage, they had three additional staff members on the ground because they knew it would be a challenging weather event."
As of Monday evening, the death toll in Central Texas from the horrific flooding was more than 100.
Cruz surveyed the search and rescue efforts along with the severe damage in the aftermath. Standing above the Guadalupe River Monday morning, which was still raging downstream, Cruz said the devastating and profound sense of loss at Camp Mystic and around Kerr County has touched everyone not only there but across the nation.
"We are all praying for those girls, [that] they're safe," said Cruz.
He said to him and his family, what happened is also personal.
"Just last week, we were here picking our daughter up from camp, just down the river from Camp Mystic," said Cruz. "There are not words to describe the horror that unfolded."
Cruz praised first responders and President Trump's response to the disaster. When asked if there will be Congressional hearings into emergency warnings, he said he was unsure but said there needs to be a close examination into this issue.
"I will say as a dad, it is frustrating that those girls were not out of harm's way earlier and I'm sure we will ask questions about how when the next flood occurs, how do we make sure that you don't have 7 and 8-year-old little girls in cabins right by the river's edge as the floodwaters are rising," Cruz said. "With any disaster, you see people playing politics and trying to finger-point at their political opponents. That's not the time for this. The time for this is to come together and support each other. But we should also have a serious examination of what steps can be put in place in terms of early warning and being proactive to make sure that you're not leaving, especially children, vulnerable and in harm's way. I'm certain we will engage in that process."
On Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott said this issue will be addressed during the upcoming special session starting on July 21.
In an interview for Eye On Politics Monday morning, State Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, said that with a budget surplus and hefty savings account, he believes the state will act.
"I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that something like this never happens again," Patterson said. "I would like to do and see anything that we can do when we're back there later this month to try to create better warning systems for Texans. If it's warning sirens, if it's something else, I am not an expert in this, but we've got great folks who are, and we're all going to be listening. We're all going to be talking about what we can figure out what we can do. And then we're going to take action."
In the meantime, Patterson said he and State Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, are raising money for the Central Texas community. They hope to raise $150,000 for the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.
"The entire Texas legislative community has kind of come together," Patterson said. "I've heard from members of the State Board of Education. I've heard from members of other state boards like the Texas Medical Board. This is something that is growing and building."
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