Conspiracies Flood the Internet as Texas Faces Catastrophic Deluge
In America, disasters and tragedies have long served as fertile ground for wild-eyed conspiracy theories—and the devastating flash floods that hammered Texas over the Fourth of July weekend proved no exception. As the death toll rises, far-right voices online have leapt at the chance to push their twisted narratives, blurring the line between fact and fiction.
Emerging from the same dark corners that fueled the QAnon movement—which falsely claims a secret “deep state” is working against Donald Trump—a wave of theorists on X (formerly Twitter) began claiming the extreme weather was government-controlled.
“I NEED SOMEONE TO LOOK INTO WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS,” thundered Pete Chambers, a former Special Forces commander with a long history in far-right activism. Chambers, who once organized an armed convoy at the Texas border, posted supposed documents about government weather manipulation and demanded answers: “WHEN WAS THE LAST CLOUD SEEDING?”
Chambers even targeted a California-based precipitation enhancement company, suggesting they played a role in the storm—a baseless accusation that quickly gained traction.
Soon, one of QAnon's top influencers jumped in. Retired General Mike Flynn, Trump’s former National Security Adviser, who openly pledged allegiance to QAnon in 2020, reposted Chambers' claim, asking ominously, “Anyone able to answer this?” The post racked up millions of views on Elon Musk’s platform.
Not to be outdone, grifters and conspiracists across social media joined the frenzy. A YouTuber with hundreds of thousands of subscribers dropped a breathless video titled “The TRUTH of WEATHER MANIPULATION,” raking in nearly 200,000 views on that segment alone.
Even Capitol Hill echoed these wild claims. Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a known vaccine skeptic and conspiracy megaphone, seized the moment. Citing the floods, she announced she would introduce legislation to ban weather modification practices.
“I am introducing a bill that prohibits the injection, release, or dispersion of chemicals into the air to manipulate weather, temperature, or sunlight,” she declared on X. “Violators will face felony charges.”
Meanwhile, misinformation spread rapidly. One viral tale falsely claimed two girls had been found alive near Comfort, Texas. The rumor originated from a volunteer rescuer, was amplified by far-right figure Laura Loomer, and later debunked by CNN’s Brian Stelter.
Debate exploded online, not only over conspiracy-laced weather claims, but also over who should be held responsible for the destruction. Many critics pointed to the Trump administration’s budget cuts, especially its bloated investment in ICE over disaster preparedness.
The Austin Firefighters Association publicly blamed its own fire chief, Joel G. Baker, for delaying a rescue response in Kerr County. Their viral Instagram post accused him of choosing cost savings over human lives. “Why would Fire Chief Joel G. Baker do this?” it asked. “A misguided attempt to save money.”
The National Weather Service also came under fire. Though they issued late-night alerts, many argued that their forecast underestimated rainfall, and the overall coordination with emergency services was lackluster. A full review of their response is underway.
Adding insult to injury, Senator Ted Cruz was found vacationing abroad—again—during a deadly crisis in his own state. At the same time, he backed a “big, beautiful bill” that slashed weather forecasting budgets nationwide, worsening the government’s ability to prepare for such disasters.
On Telegram, neo-Nazi and far-right channels slammed the government’s “incompetent response”, even though many of them continue to support Trump. One post lamented that both Democrats and Republicans in Texas state leadership had failed their citizens through poor emergency planning and a lack of serious flood mitigation efforts.
Another particularly vile post tried to stoke racial outrage, falsely claiming the Trump administration had failed to protect “White girls’ lives”, referencing the 27 campers who tragically died at Camp Mystic. The same post ranted about the broader neglect of “White Americans.”
On the other side of the political spectrum, left-wing meme makers took their shots. One viral image used Principal Skinner from The Simpsons, sarcastically pondering whether Trump’s funding cuts may have contributed to the Texas tragedy.
Then the punchline hits:
“No, it must have been Democrats using a weather modification machine.”