Overview

• Flash floods in Kerr County, Texas on July 5 killed scores of people after delayed National Weather Service warnings reached residents only as waters rose.
• The San Antonio forecast office operated without a warning coordination meteorologist following staff exits under the administration’s early retirement incentives.
• Trump’s FY2026 budget proposal would cut NOAA funding by $2 billion (27%) and close 10 research laboratories essential for weather and climate forecasting.
• Since January, NOAA has lost nearly 2,000 employees and the National Weather Service has eliminated about 600 jobs, degrading forecasting capacity during extreme weather.
• FEMA has revoked $3.6 billion in grants and shed roughly 25% of its workforce while planning to shift disaster response costs to states ahead of hurricane season.