XPost: alt.talk.weather, alt.government.employees, tx.politics
XPost: sac.politics, talk.politics.guns

https://www.nbcdfw.com/investigations/nws-union-texas-office-prepared-but- others-are-understaffed/3880122/

The union representing National Weather Service forecasters tells NBC 5 Investigates that on the night of a deadly storm in Central Texas, there
was adequate staffing at the Texas offices that issued critical flood
warnings. However, the union said federal budget cuts have left other NWS offices severely understaffed, raising questions about whether we're
prepared for the next storm.

The catastrophic flooding that swept through the Texas Hill Country on
July 4 highlights the critical role of National Weather Service
forecasters who are called on to issue alerts when every minute counts.

As NBC 5 Investigates reported on Sunday, NWS records show forecasters
warned of flooding 12 hours before the storm began and issued more urgent warnings in the early morning before the Guadalupe River reached flood
stage.

The union representing forecasters said Monday that NWS offices in Central Texas were prepared.

"The staffing that we had in both San Angelo and San Antonio offices, we
had an adequate amount of staff to get out the alerts and warnings to the public," said Tom Fahy, legislative director with the National Weather
Service Employee Organization.

However, union officials said that if flooding happened in other cities
across the United States, some NWS offices might not be adequately
staffed. In Texas, the union said 30% of jobs at the NWS office in Houston
are vacant. They said the office in Dallas-Fort Worth is better staffed
but still has three vacant forecaster positions.

The union fears forecasters working long hours to cover extra shifts could
lead to burnout, especially during the dangerous summer storm season.

"They are tired. People are tired and they need to get a break," Fahy
said.

Forecasters have complained about short staffing for years. Ten years ago,
NBC 5 Investigates reported about 500 vacant front-line forecaster
positions at NWS offices nationwide due to previous budget cuts and
periodic hiring freezes.

The union said the staffing situation became more critical this year when
about 600 staffers left the agency. About 100 probationary employees were
laid off in cuts by the Trump administration. The union said hundreds of
other workers took early retirement offers.

"That's six hundred less people working to help keep you safe every day,"
Fahy said.

In a statement to NBC 5 Investigates, an NWS spokesperson said the agency planned to hire additional forecasters soon—"a targeted number of
permanent, mission-critical field positions will soon be advertised (in
the coming weeks)."

The agency said it is also temporarily assigning employees to offices with
the greatest needs, but a spokesperson did not respond to questions about specific staffing numbers.

In recent days, the NWS said warnings issued ahead of the flooding in
Central Texas provided hours of lead time. But questions remain about
whether those warnings reached the victims who were in areas with spotty cellular coverage and no local warning siren system.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said in Kerr County on Monday he wanted an assessment
of how to better warn people in the future.

"There will be another flood, there will be a disaster, but next time
there's a flood I hope we have in place processes to remove especially the
most vulnerable from harm's way," Cruz said.

The forecasters' union agreed, hoping more research and more trained eyes
on the sky could help the next city in the path of disaster.

"We do need to have some type of national assessment on this," Fahy said.

The forecasters union said additional staff would also help the agency
conduct more planning and training with local communities to help local emergency managers provide more effective warnings.

How to help with Central Texas flood relief
Join NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 in our efforts to help those whose lives have
been upended by recent storms and record flooding, as well as countless
other crises. You can help by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your financial donation helps provide shelter, meals, relief
supplies, emotional support, recovery planning and other assistance during disasters like the one in Texas.

Click here to learn how to support disaster relief efforts and make a
donation to the American Red Cross
In response to questions about what people can do to help the area recover
from the deadly flood, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, a 501(c)(3) charity serving the
Texas Hill Country, has established a relief fund to support vetted local response, relief and recovery efforts. Organizers said all donations go directly to organizations working on the front lines of the July 4
flooding emergency. All donations are tax-deductible, and you will receive
a receipt for your gift. To learn more or donate, visit the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country here.

https://cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=420
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November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
forward to America being great again.

We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.

Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama
/ Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

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