It's Monday, July 7th, 2025 from Peachfish Productions.

It's the Gist.

I'm Mike Peska.

The tragedy in Texas is prompting necessary questions about warning systems.

And there are valid issues to be researched into staffing.

The New York Times reports that the National Weather Services San

Angelo office, which is the one responsible for Kerr County, was missing a senior hydrologist,

a staff forecaster, and a meteorologist in charge, and the Weather Services San Antonio

office didn't have a warning coordination meteorologist. He or she left on April 30th,

taking an early buyout after some Trump administration light harassment. This is natural.

These are questions to ask. We search for why in the face of tragedy. And sometimes we come up

with answers. But like I said, it is also natural to

ask the question. Deadly flooding in this part of the country is also actually quite natural. It's called

Flash Flood Alley. Many, many such disasters have occurred here over the years.

So Joaquin Castro, congressman from nearby San Antonio, is not wrong when he answered

Dana Bash's question on CNN this way.

How much do you think the changing climate is part of what we are seeing go on here, not just what we're seeing in the pictures

that we're showing on the screen, but even the flood that you talked about in San Antonio in June.

I think climate change is obviously a part of it. These floods are happening more often in more

parts of the country and really all over the world.

However, the climate change played a role or a large role explanation is a lot more complicated

than that give and take would indicate. Are floods increasing in number and severity?

...