Climate Change
Death toll from Texas floods reaches 78; Trump plans visit
President Donald Trump sent his condolences to the victims and said he would probably visit the area on Friday. His administration had been in touch with Abbott, he added.
The death toll from catastrophic floods in Texas reached at least 78 on Sunday, including 28 children, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp continued and fears of more flooding prompted evacuations of volunteer responders, Reuters reported.
Larry Leitha, sheriff of Kerr County in Texas Hill Country, said 68 people had died in flooding in his county, the epicenter of the flooding, among them 28 children. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, speaking at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, said another 10 had died elsewhere in Texas and confirmed 41 were missing.
President Donald Trump sent his condolences to the victims and said he would probably visit the area on Friday. His administration had been in touch with Abbott, he added.
“It’s a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible. So we say, God bless all of the people that have gone through so much, and God bless, God bless the state of Texas,” he told reporters as he left New Jersey.
Among the most devastating impacts of the flooding occurred at Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp where 10 Camp Mystic campers and one counselor were still missing, according to Leitha.
“It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through,” said Abbott, who noted he toured the area on Saturday and pledged to continue efforts to locate the missing.
The flooding occurred after the nearby Guadalupe River broke its banks after torrential rain fell in the central Texas area on Friday, the U.S. Independence Day holiday.
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said the destruction killed three people in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County.
“You will see the death toll rise today and tomorrow,” said Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, also speaking on Sunday.
Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain across the region, about 85 miles (140 km) northwest of San Antonio, read the report.
Kidd said he was receiving unconfirmed reports of “an additional wall of water” flowing down some of the creeks in the Guadalupe Rivershed, as rain continued to fall on soil in the region already saturated from Friday’s rains.
“We’re evacuating parts of the river right now because we are worried about another wall of river coming down in those areas,” he said, referencing volunteers from outside the area seeking to help locate victims.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and is deploying resources to first responders in Texas after Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters and planes were aiding search and rescue efforts.
Trump has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government’s role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves.
Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm, Reuters reported.
Trump’s administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service’s parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said.
Spinrad said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but that they would inevitably degrade the agency’s ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts.
Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts hobbled the disaster response or left key job vacancies at the National Weather Service under Trump’s oversight.
“That water situation, that all is, and that was really the Biden setup,” he said referencing his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. “But I wouldn’t blame Biden for it, either. I would just say this is 100-year catastrophe.”
He declined to answer a question about FEMA, saying only “They’re busy working, so we’ll leave it at that,” Trump said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees FEMA and NOAA, said a “moderate” flood watch issued on Thursday by the National Weather Service had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall and said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the system.
Joaquin Castro, a Democratic U.S. congressman from Texas, told CNN’s “State of the Union” program that fewer personnel at the weather service could be dangerous.
“When you have flash flooding, there’s a risk that if you don’t have the personnel … to do that analysis, do the predictions in the best way, it could lead to tragedy,” Castro said.
Katharine Somerville, a counselor on the Cypress Lake side of Camp Mystic, on higher ground than the Guadalupe River side, said her 13-year-old campers were scared as their cabins sustained damage and lost power in the middle of the night.
“Our cabins at the tippity top of hills were completely flooded with water. I mean, y’all have seen the complete devastation, we never even imagined that this could happen,” Somerville said in an interview on Fox News on Sunday.
Somerville said the campers in her care were put on military trucks and evacuated, and that all were safe.
The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet (9 meters).
A day after the disaster struck, the summer camp, where 700 girls were in residence at the time of the flooding, was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least six feet (1.83 m) from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall.
Climate Change
Japan, UNOPS partner on $9.4m climate adaptation initiative in Afghanistan
Japan and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) have signed a $9.4 million grant agreement aimed at strengthening climate adaptation and disaster preparedness in Afghanistan.
The agreement, valued at 1.474 billion Japanese yen ($9.4 million) was signed by UNOPS Afghanistan Country Director Katy Ann Webley and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Afghanistan Chief Representative Sota Tosaka.
The project will be implemented in Kabul province and focuses on improving the capacity of local communities to cope with climate-related disasters.
Using a community-led approach, the programme will support the construction of infrastructure designed to reduce the impact of floods, droughts and other climate risks, alongside training to improve emergency preparedness and response.
Over the next 24 months, UNOPS will carry out activities aimed at enhancing climate risk awareness, strengthening local resilience and protecting livelihoods vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Climate Change
Winter storm disrupts US travel, triggers thousands of flight cancellations
The disruptions followed a chaotic Sunday, when about 11,000 flights were scrapped—the highest daily total since the COVID-19 pandemic
A powerful winter storm sweeping across the United States brought air travel to a near standstill on Monday, forcing airlines to cancel and delay thousands of flights as freezing rain and heavy snowfall battered large parts of the country.
By late afternoon, nearly 19% of scheduled flights had been canceled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Separate data from FlightAware showed around 5,220 U.S. flights were canceled and more than 6,500 delayed by early evening.
The disruptions followed a chaotic Sunday, when about 11,000 flights were scrapped—the highest daily total since the COVID-19 pandemic, Cirium said.
The massive storm dumped up to a foot of snow from New Mexico to New England, paralyzing much of the eastern United States and contributing to at least 18 deaths. Extreme cold is expected to linger in some areas through the week.
American Airlines accounted for the largest share of disruptions on Monday, canceling nearly 1,180 flights and delaying about 1,130, followed by Republic Airways, JetBlue Airways, and Delta Air Lines.
In an advisory, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned that snow, freezing rain, and low visibility were affecting major hubs, including Boston and the New York metropolitan area. Boston Logan International Airport recorded the highest cancellation rate at 71%, according to Cirium.
American Airlines said the storm disrupted operations at five of its nine hub airports, including its largest base at Dallas–Fort Worth, where freezing temperatures and ice grounded flights.
The carrier requested FAA-approved ground stops for all its flights at Dallas–Fort Worth and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to manage gate capacity constraints.
The airline said teams were working around the clock to restore operations, as frustrated passengers flooded social media with requests for updates and assistance.
United Airlines said it had begun restoring flights, with cancellations dropping sharply from 1,019 on Sunday to 320 by Monday evening, FlightAware data showed.
The storm is on track to become the costliest severe weather event since the Los Angeles-area wildfires in early 2025, with preliminary damage and economic losses estimated between $105 billion and $115 billion, according to AccuWeather.
Airline operations remain vulnerable due to the interconnected nature of flight schedules, where cancellations can leave aircraft and crews out of position, slowing recovery efforts. Already, about 285 flights scheduled for Tuesday have been canceled, FlightAware data showed.
Climate Change
FAO warns of dry winter, low snowfall and rising food insecurity risks in Afghanistan
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has warned that Afghanistan is likely to face a drier and warmer-than-average winter, raising serious concerns about water availability, agricultural production and food security.
In its Seasonal Climate Outlook for December 2025 to February 2026, FAO said a weak La Niña pattern is driving below-average precipitation and above-average temperatures across most parts of the country. The report notes that the 2025/26 wet season has already begun drier and warmer than normal, with widespread soil moisture deficits persisting for another consecutive year
According to FAO, snow accumulation remains exceptionally low, with snow-water-equivalent levels at their lowest point in the past 25 years. This poses a critical hydrological risk, particularly for irrigated wheat-growing areas that depend on snowmelt-fed river systems. Even if precipitation improves later in winter, early deficits are unlikely to be fully offset, the report said
The outlook projects that December, January and February will all carry an elevated risk of below-normal rainfall, especially in northern, northeastern, western and central highland regions. Warmer daytime temperatures combined with cold nights are also expected to increase stress on crops, livestock and vulnerable communities
FAO warned that continued dryness could delay planting and weaken crop establishment for rain-fed winter wheat and barley, potentially reducing yields for the 2026 harvest. In irrigated areas, low snowpack threatens spring water supplies, increasing competition for water and reliance on already stressed groundwater resources.
Rangeland and pasture conditions are also expected to deteriorate, with delayed green-up likely to force herders to depend longer on stored fodder. This could lead to declining livestock health, reduced milk production and increased risk of animal losses toward late winter and early spring, the report said.
FAO and partner assessments caution that consecutive seasons of insufficient rainfall and high temperatures have already weakened agricultural systems and could leave millions of people facing acute food insecurity between late 2025 and early 2026
The UN agency emphasized the need for close monitoring of precipitation, snowpack and crop conditions, calling for timely agricultural support, improved water management and early anticipatory action to mitigate the impacts of the unfolding climate risks.
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