Q: Is it true that if President Donald Trump hadn’t defunded the National Weather Service, the death toll in the Texas flooding would have been far lower or nonexistent? A: The Trump administration did not defund the NWS but did reduce the staff by 600 people.

Texas and the rest of the nation are mourning as the death toll rises to 120 almost a week after catastrophic flooding devastated parts of the state over Fourth of July weekend.

For years, employees say, they've had to do more with less. But the ability to fill in the gaps became strained to the breaking point when the Trump administration began pushing new staffing cuts.

Cuts to the National Weather Service has ignited debate about the agency's ability to respond to emergency weather events, like the Hill Country floods.

While the chances of having an event similar to what had occurred in Texas are significantly lower, it raised a question about staffing at local National Weather Service (NWS) offices. Southcentral Kentucky is observed by two NWS offices: Paducah and Louisville.

After deadly floodwaters swept through Central Texas, there are questions about the timeline of weather alerts and possible gaps in the warning system.

As authorities continue to respond to catastrophic flash floods that have killed more than 100 people, including at least 28 children, hurricane specialist and weather expert John Morales is weighing in on whether staffing shortages at the National Weather Service contributed to the lethality of the event in Central Texas.

More than 100 people have died across six counties after flash flooding from heavy rain began affecting the state last week.