Texas floods raise doubts over US weather warnings, response levels

Staff shortage at NWS

The unexpectedness of the flood has led many to question whether the understaffed NWS has contributed to the tragedy.

Its ability to help the entire country prepare for natural disasters was also questioned due to funding cuts under the Trump administration's Big Beautiful Bill which was passed the day before July 4.

Federal funding cuts made earlier by the Department of Government Efficiency led to staff cuts in the NWS, which the service says has resulted in many of its local offices being understaffed.

Its mission statement is to: "Provide weather, water and climate data, forecasts, warnings, and impact-based decision support services for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy."

Accurate weather warnings are the key to "give every individual a fighting chance to survive nature's worst", it adds.

Since President Donald Trump took office, almost 600 people have left the NWS, equivalent to the total number of employees who left the service in the past 15 years.

Many of those who left were seasoned meteorologists with experience in dealing with a variety of weather scenarios. Experts had previously warned that the service had already been crippled due to its large number of vacant positions and sudden departure of senior staff.

The NWS Austin/San Antonio Office, which oversees flood-devastated Kerr County, is currently short six staff members. A senior hydrologist, staff forecaster and meteorologist in charge were missing, according to the NWS website.

While no one at the NWS has explained the big gap between the forecast and actual rainfall, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the administration, saying that it's hard to accurately predict rainfall.

Noem argued that the technology was "ancient" and that the Trump administration is working to upgrade it.

"We know that everybody wants more warning time, and that's why we're working to upgrade the technologies that have been neglected (for) far too long," Noem said at a Saturday news conference.