Texas Democrat seeks answers on ‘missing key’ weather personnel as flood deaths rise – Washington Examiner
Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro has raised concerns about key personnel vacancies in the National Weather Service (NWS) following severe flooding in central Texas that resulted in significant loss of life. The flooding has left at least 59 people dead, including many children, and several others missing, prompting a call for accountability regarding the NWS’s ability to prepare communities for such disasters.
Castro pointed out that the Trump administration had previously cut hundreds of jobs at the NWS, leading to a lack of critical staff in the Houston office and the Austin-San Antonio area. While he refrained from directly linking the staffing shortages to the lack of preparedness for the recent flooding, he emphasized that having the right personnel is essential in preventing tragedies. He suggested that the situation warrants further inquiry and noted that not having sufficient staff is detrimental in emergency situations.
The implications of these staffing cuts are significant, as they hinder the NWS’s ability to effectively analyze and predict severe weather events, which could potentially save lives.
Texas Democrat seeks answers on ‘missing key’ weather personnel as flood deaths rise
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) commented on key vacancies in the National Weather Service following deadly flooding in central Texas.
The Trump administration has cut hundreds of jobs at the weather service, though Castro, whose district includes San Antonio, where much of the flooding occurred, said he could not “conclusively” say if a lack of key staff was to blame for residents’ lack of preparedness in the flood zone. The congressman did, however, say vacancies were not ideal.
“I don’t think it’s helpful to have missing key personnel from the National Weather Service not in place to help prevent these tragedies. When I say we ought to do everything possible to help prevent a tragedy. … That’s part of what I mean,” Castro said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office in Houston remains without its top three management positions due to federal layoffs, with the Austin-San Antonio office also missing a “warning coordination meteorologist.” Some lower-level personnel at the weather service have been rehired in recent weeks.
“That’s why there is an incredible value to the National Weather Service is because, on most days, obviously, you’re not going to have a tragedy like this,” Castro said. “But when you have flash flooding, you know there is a risk that you won’t have the personnel to do that analysis, do the predictions in the best way, and it could lead to tragedy.”
Castro said he did not want to say “conclusively” that missing personnel was what led to the devastation, but said it “should be investigated” and that “not having enough personnel is never helpful.”
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At least 59 people, including 21 children, have died in Kerr County, Texas, as a result of the flood, and 11 girls and a counselor at a summer camp remain missing.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, said he believed some weather warnings went out “by locals.”
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