Local politicians react to National Weather Service forecasts, efforts to fund disaster warning system upgrades following Central Texas floods

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- In the wake of the deadly Central Texas floods, lawmakers are looking back on Texas House Bill 13, which was introduced during the last Legislative Session.

HB 13 aimed to create the Texas Interoperability Council and a new state-wide emergency response plan including grants to upgrade communication for first responders.

"Both houses of the Texas Legislature wait until the last minute before they start passing things, so that situation needs to change," El Paso County Republican Party Chairman Michael Aboud said.

Aboud said he would support Governor Greg Abbott if he decided to include HB 13 in the upcoming special session.

State Rep. Vince Perez supported HB 13 during the previous session and said there was support from both sides of the aisle.

"When it comes to state weather, related events, we don't necessarily have a state-wide system that is something like the Amber alert system, where everybody can be notified quickly," Perez said. "I think that would be a good idea moving forward. I urge the governor to add this to the special session moving forward."

At a news conference on Friday, Texas Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd questioned the National Weather Service, saying the amount of rain that fell was not in any of the forecasts.

"This is not a time for partisan finger-pointing and attacks," Texas Senator Ted Cruz said Monday morning in response to the concerns. "After we come through the process of rebuilding, there will naturally be a period of retrospection where you look back and say, ‘OK, what exactly transpired, what was the timeline, and what could have been done differently to prevent this loss of life?"

Greg Lundeen with the National Weather Service's El Paso Office explained what meteorologists look for when they're building the forecast.

"We'll focus our attention on the areas where the potential for impacts of flooding is higher," Lundeen said. "That doesn't mean we can nail it down to the street corner where it's exactly going to hit. It's not an exact science."

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump was asked if the federal government would rehire any of the staff who were cut from the National Weather Service.

"I would think not," Trump said. "(The flooding) happened in seconds. Nobody expected it. Nobody saw it. Very talented people are there, and they didn't see it."

Congresswoman Veronica Escobar shared the following statement with ABC-7:

"The more we learn about the tragic floods that so far have taken the lives of 90 people, including little girls at camp, the focus rightfully remains on recovery and urgently helping the families and individuals in most need. However, this painful tragedy must serve as a dire warning to the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans. The experts who work for the agencies charged with predicting inclement weather and those tasked with assisting in recovery efforts after they happen play a critical role in saving lives. We must work together to ensure these programs and agencies, along with climate change mitigation, are fully funded and fully staffed. My heart goes out to the families of those we lost and remains with all of the members El Paso Fire Department Water Rescue Team and the Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue Unit (BORSTAR) who have selflessly joined the search and rescue operation."