Trump's budget cuts and staff cuts at National Weather Service

C

Cypress

Well-known member

Debate erupts over weather forecasts for deadly Texas floods and adequate staffing​

Questions remain about the level of coordination and communication between NWS and local officials on the night of the disaster.

The Trump administration has cut hundreds of jobs at NWS, with staffing down by at least 20% at nearly half of the 122 NWS field offices nationally and at least a half dozen no longer staffed 24 hours a day.

Hundreds more experienced forecasters and senior managers were encouraged to retire early.

The White House also has proposed slashing its parent agency’s budget by 27% and eliminating federal research centers focused on studying the world’s weather, climate and oceans.

As Floods Hit, Key Roles Were Vacant at Weather Service Offices in Texas​

The staffing shortages suggested a separate problem, those former officials said — the loss of experienced people who would typically have helped communicate with local authorities in the hours after flash flood warnings were issued overnight.


www.pbs.org

Debate erupts over weather forecasts for deadly Texas floods and adequate staffing

Former federal officials and outside experts have warned for months that President Donald Trump’s deep staffing cuts to the National Weather Service could endanger lives. After torrential rains and flash flooding struck Friday in the Texas Hill Country, the weather service came under fire from...
www.pbs.org www.pbs.org

 
Cypress said:

Debate erupts over weather forecasts for deadly Texas floods and adequate staffing​

Questions remain about the level of coordination and communication between NWS and local officials on the night of the disaster.

The Trump administration has cut hundreds of jobs at NWS, with staffing down by at least 20% at nearly half of the 122 NWS field offices nationally and at least a half dozen no longer staffed 24 hours a day.

Hundreds more experienced forecasters and senior managers were encouraged to retire early.

The White House also has proposed slashing its parent agency’s budget by 27% and eliminating federal research centers focused on studying the world’s weather, climate and oceans.

As Floods Hit, Key Roles Were Vacant at Weather Service Offices in Texas​

The staffing shortages suggested a separate problem, those former officials said — the loss of experienced people who would typically have helped communicate with local authorities in the hours after flash flood warnings were issued overnight.


www.pbs.org

Debate erupts over weather forecasts for deadly Texas floods and adequate staffing

Former federal officials and outside experts have warned for months that President Donald Trump’s deep staffing cuts to the National Weather Service could endanger lives. After torrential rains and flash flooding struck Friday in the Texas Hill Country, the weather service came under fire from...
www.pbs.org www.pbs.org

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Oh, yeah. I'm watching a news story about it right now - there was a warning in the middle of the night with zero follow-up to see if message received - trump/elon's hazardous douche cuts make trump/musk responsible for even more deaths.
 

New York Times reports vacancies in key NWS positions​

According to the New York Times, the NWS offices closest to the flooding have vacancies in key managerial positions in charge of maintaining coordination and communication with local emergency managers.
 
The same river raged just as violently in 1987. Those who don't study history are destined to repeat it.

On another note I heard DJT was down there holding little girls heads under water personally.
 
Grokmaster said:
Lie some more.


+

Ex-forecasters at National Weather Service defend Texas meteorologists and say warnings were as timely as they should have been​



www.yahoo.com

Ex-forecasters at National Weather Service defend Texas meteorologists and say warnings were as timely as they should have been

At least 82 people have been killed and more than 40 remain missing after flash floods ravage central Texas
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com
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Sometimes it's good to look at the the wording of an article. From your article:
**
Response to the extreme event has been met with major scrutiny after some state and local officials accused the NWS of not providing accurate forecasts. There have also been questions over whether the agency was sufficiently staffed after the Trump administration slashed critical positions around the U.S.

But experts say that warnings issued were about as timely and accurate as could be expected with the data they had.
**

First issue here- was the data they had as good as it could have been? From Guno's article:
**
In an unusual broadcast on June 3, longtime South Florida TV meteorologist John Morales warned his viewers that the Trump administration cuts meant he might not be able to provide as accurate forecasts for hurricanes as he had in years past. He cited staffing shortfalls of between 20% and 40% at NWS offices from Tampa to Key West and urged his NBC 6 audience in greater Miami to call their congressional representatives.

“What we are starting to see is that the quality of the forecasts is becoming degraded,” Morales said. “And we may not know exactly how strong a hurricane is before it reaches the coastline.”
**

Second issue is one that your article actually brings up:
**
“The forecasting was good. The warnings were good. It’s always about getting people to receive the message,” Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist based in Wisconsin, told NBC News. “It appears that is one of the biggest contributors — that last mile.”
**

Guno's article hammers this point home:
**
Uccellini and the four prior NWS directors who served under Democratic and Republican presidents criticized the Trump cuts in an open letter issued in May; they said the administration’s actions resulted in the departures of about 550 employees — an overall reduction of more than 10 percent.

“NWS staff will have an impossible task to continue its current level of services,” they wrote. “Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life. We know that’s a nightmare shared by those on the forecasting front lines – and by the people who depend on their efforts.”
**
 
Cypress said:
When Trump got rid of a lot of the most senior and experienced people at National Weather Service, he caused NWS to lose a lot of institutional knowledge and administrative knowledge.
Click to expand...

It is simply dumb to contend this will not have consequences.
 
martin said:
It is simply dumb to contend this will not have consequences.
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Marty, how do you reduce the size of government without reducing government employees.

The local weather office was fully staffed.

If Democrats have four workers to hammer one nail and they are reduced to three, they will say that people will die because of the staff reduction.

Poor Marty.

Here is what its disgusting, the far left Democratic/Socialist/Communist loons are trying to make cheap political points while they are still recovering bodies…many of whom are children.

This was a one hundred year flash flood. The warnings were adequate.
 
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Reactions: TOP
6 months ago what would have been the difference...In forecast, in warnings?
How ghoulish to blame the President for this terrible tragedy....
 
TOP said:
6 months ago what would have been the difference...In forecast, in warnings?
How ghoulish to blame the President for this terrible tragedy....
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Indeed.

The far left ghouls always crawl out from underneath their rocks when something like this happens.

The criticism for the vegetable was that it was a year before he visited the site of the train wreck.

President Trump will visit the Texas tragedy Friday.

White House says Trump to visit flood-devastated Texas this week​

FOX News
 
TOP said:
6 months ago what would have been the difference...In forecast, in warnings?
How ghoulish to blame the President for this terrible tragedy....
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Trump being the guy who would have been the first to blame Biden. Still, it's a necessary to question: "what would have been the difference" had there been a fully staffed and operational forecast and warning system?
 
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martin said:
Trump being the guy who would have been the first to blame Biden. Still, it's a necessary to question: "what would have been the difference" had there been a fully staffed and operational warning system?
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They were fully operational... what would have been the difference 6 months ago?
To blame the President is simply wrong...to celebrate that fact that these were Christian camps and they got what they deserved is even worse...
There's no wonder this country is so divided with such hate in human hearts...if there was ever any question about that being the case, this terrible tragedy provides the sad confirmation that things have never been worse...
That's something only we can solve...
Some of us want things to find a way to heal this country... and have been optimistic about the good changes that are happening...others are applauding the deaths of small children and mocking a community in mourning. in order to take a swing at the President... How does anyone choose that second scenario?
 
Cypress said:

New York Times reports vacancies in key NWS positions​

According to the New York Times, the NWS offices closest to the flooding have vacancies in key managerial positions in charge of maintaining coordination and communication with local emergency managers.
Click to expand...
Hurricane season 2025 should be very memorable. LOL
 
martin said:
Trump being the guy who would have been the first to blame Biden. Still, it's a necessary to question: "what would have been the difference" had there been a fully staffed and operational forecast and warning system?
Click to expand...
Earlier warning. More funding for notifying the public.

In Texas, an automated flood warning system in areas vulnerable to floods. This was a 100-year rain event, but the Guadalupe River valley has had a few floods, just nothing this catastrophic. Still, what value to we put on human life? The Republicans are anti-abortion because they say "every life is scared"....until it costs them money.

www.usatoday.com

Texas county where campers died was denied money to boost warning systems

Twice, the Texas Division of Emergency Management turned down Kerr County's requests for money to improve flood warnings.
www.usatoday.com
 
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