Warnings were issued. Forecasters were on the job

Over the past two days I have seen several people online attempt to establish a link between cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the flooding tragedy that happened in Texas on July the Fourth.

These are the facts surrounding that disaster.

The National Weather Service issued its first flood watch on Thursday, July 3, the day before the disaster.

Then, just after midnight on July 4, the day of the disaster, the weather service issued another flood watch.

An hour later, at about 1 o’clock in the morning, they upgraded that flood watch to a flood warning, which would have triggered alert tones on mobile phones in the forecast area.

Then, at 4 o’clock in the morning, they declared a flood emergency.

The Guadalupe River crested at about 4:30 a.m.

As for the number of forecasters on duty, typically on a weekend like that, two forecasters are working. In this case there were five forecasters working.

So, as you can see, there was no shortage in warnings, and no shortage in forecasting capabilities.

I have heard suggestions that NWS was missing some of the people who typically coordinate with local emergency operations, and I’ve also heard former NOAA higher-ups warned that staffing cuts could lead to dangerous shortfalls in forecasting and information.

I have no doubt both of those statements have merit.

But in this case, where it was being suggested – “accused” is a stronger verb – that there weren’t enough forecasters on the job, or that adequate warning wasn’t give, it doesn’t appear to be true that cuts to NOAA had anything to do with the tragedy.

You guys know what I think about that creature in the White House. But politicizing a natural disaster, and placing blame where it isn’t due, makes us all look bad.

Please stop circulating these rumors.

About the author:

Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”

Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.

As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.

Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .