Rumors of weather manipulation have surged online as central Texas reels from devastating floods, prompting multiple Lone Star officials to denounce conspiracy theories and urge focus on recovery.
Over 150 people remain missing, and at least 120 people have died in Kerr County after torrential rains triggered catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River, destroying homes and camps and leaving families searching for loved ones.
The disaster’s aftermath has been compounded by a wave of claims on social media, with many placing the blame on “cloud seeding” and weather modification.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Rainmaker CEO Augustus Doricko has come under scrutiny after many on social media claimed that this “cloud seeding” contributed to the flooding.
Doricko has spoken out against these claims, stating that just one 20-minute cloud seeding mission was conducted days before the event took place. Additionally, no further flights were conducted before the floods began.
Now, multiple Texas officials have also voiced their disapproval of the claims that cloud seeding played a role in the flooding.
Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Commissioner Sid Miller wrote that there has been “a lot of misinformation flying around lately,” and the TDA has “absolutely no connection to cloud seeding or any form of weather modification.”
“Since the passage of Senate Bill 1303 in 2011, TDA has had no legal authority, responsibilities, or involvement in any weather modification programs. That authority was transferred out of our hands more than a decade ago,” Miller wrote in a statement sent to The Dallas Express.
“Let’s put an end to the conspiracy theories and stop blaming others. Our priority should be the recovery efforts in the Texas Hill Country, as we stand in solidarity with our fellow Texans,” he added.
Similarly, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) stated that no one should believe these theories, as there is no indication that the floods were caused by cloud seeding.
“To the best of my knowledge, there is zero evidence of anything related to anything like weather modification,” Cruz explained, per Fox 7. “And look, the internet can be a strange place. People can come up with all sorts of crazy theories.”
The claims from both Miller and Cruz back up those made by Houston meteorologist Travis Herzog, who confirmed that cloud seeding could not have this type of effect on the environment.
“Cloud seeding cannot create a storm of this magnitude or size. In fact, cloud seeding cannot even create a single cloud,” explained Herzog, as reported by DX.
“All it can do is take an existing cloud and enhance the rainfall by up to 20% — and even that is on the high end.”