>>509766506
Trump cut staff to bare bones level (down by at least 20% at nearly half of the 122 NWS field offices nationally. at least a half dozen no longer staffed 24 hours a day) that every single living current and former NWS director directly publically warned is so understaffed as to risk lives.
Because of the cuts the San Antonio weather forecasting office did not have two of its top positions filled — a permanent science officer (a role that conducts training and is in charge of implementing new technology) or a warning coordination meteorologist (who issuing warnings and coordinates with local emergency management officials. coordinates with the media and is the public face of the office). That staffer literally left in April, when the DOGE ax fell. There are 6 other unfilled positions in the 27 member officer.
The NWS office responsible for that region had five staffers on duty that night. That “doubling” was from 3, to 5 … two extra staffers.
That 5 is less than what was normal, non emergency, staffing before Trump.
5 people, in an emergency, not just looking out for flooding, but also tornado and other extreme weather alerts, rainfall prediction, aviation weather, marine weather, agriculture impacts (hail / derechos etc), coordinating with first responders / LEA and their requests, as well as general forecasting across a range of services covering Austin and some 2 dozen rural counties.
The MAGA cope is just crazy. Trump and doge did this.
