Meteorologists have repeatedly tried to warn Americans about ongoing, ill-timed cuts to weather and disaster agencies in the United States — and WTVJ hurricane expert John Morales reiterated his concern in a striking segment shared on Instagram.
What's happening?
Earlier this year, the federal government implemented sweeping budget cuts across several key agencies, including the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
At the same time, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which responds to natural disasters like hurricanes, was subjected to reductions in both funding and staff.
Back on June 1, WTVJ's John Morales informed viewers that with this dramatically underfunded national infrastructure for meteorology, his ability to alert the audience to the dangers of extreme weather events as he had for the past 34 years was compromised.
On July 3, Morales spoke out in another segment about cuts to NWS and NOAA during hurricane season, decrying the fact that a "critically short-staffed National Weather Service" necessarily impeded meteorologists in their broader mission of protecting the public.
Morales alluded to "more news this week on that front," which appeared to refer to further proposed cuts to NOAA — ones that would shutter all national labs — and the looming loss of "crucial microwave satellite data" on Aug. 1.
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Why is John Morales' warning so timely and important?
"Bottom line: You are less safe this hurricane season due to these cuts," Morales concluded, pointing at the camera for emphasis.
Coincidentally, Morales' cautionary segment appeared hours before an extreme weather tragedy began to unfold in Texas' Hill Country.
In the early morning hours of July 4, deadly flash floods hit Kerr County, causing widespread devastation and killing more than 100 people.
A question of whether cuts to NOAA and the NWS exacerbated the scope of the disaster lingered as floodwaters receded — and while experts had yet to answer it definitively, they wouldn't rule it out.
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Yes — a portable generator 👍 "It certainly didn't help the situation that the Austin/San Antonio NWS weather forecast office is understaffed by 22% and without a Warning Coordination Meteorologist, but I see no evidence yet that it hurt the situation either with what I know," Houston-based meteorologist Travis Herzog said.
What can we do about it?
In the segment linked above, Morales indirectly hit on one thing people can do about the risk posed by cuts to NOAA and the NWS — make your voice heard.
Morales explained that the "crucial microwave satellite data" was originally slated to end on June 30, but it didn't.
"I protested, many other hurricane experts protested, and now they've delayed it until the end of July," he continued, adding that the extension was beneficial, but not long enough.
Hurricane season concludes at the end of November, and individual preparedness — like keeping a go bag packed — is a way to ensure readiness should extreme weather strike.
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