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12h ago

NOAA to Retire Billion-Dollar Disaster Database Amid Major Budget Cuts

The Trump administration's proposed 24% budget reduction for NOAA triggers the end of a key tool for tracking the economic toll of extreme weather events.

Aerial view of destroyed houses in Port St Lucie, Florida, after a tornado hit the area and caused severe damage as Hurricane Milton swept through Florida on October 11, 2024. The death toll from Hurricane Milton rose to at least 16 on October 11, 2024, officials in Florida said, as residents began the painful process of piecing their lives and homes back together. Nearly 2.5 million households and businesses were still without power, and some areas in the path cut through the Sunshine State by the monster storm from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean remained flooded. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)
FILE - An aerial photo shows the charred homes of Louise Hamlin, center left, and Chris Wilson, center right, after the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - Damage from Hurricane Milton is seen at a mobile home community on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
FILE - Melted metal and burned out cars sit destroyed in a driveway of a home burned by the wildfire that spread through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Friday, Jan.17, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Overview

  • NOAA announced it will archive but no longer update its Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database after 2024, citing staffing reductions and shifting priorities.
  • The database, a critical resource since 1980, has tracked over $2.9 trillion in damages from 403 major weather events, but its unique methodology is difficult to replicate elsewhere.
  • The proposed FY2026 budget includes a $1.5 billion cut to NOAA, targeting climate research, satellite programs, and other essential functions, raising concerns about public safety and economic impacts.
  • Nearly 10% of NOAA's workforce has already been reduced through layoffs and buyouts, with further operational disruptions anticipated, including reduced weather balloon launches and potential part-time forecast offices.
  • Former National Weather Service directors warn that the cuts could compromise severe weather warnings, risking lives and undermining the agency's ability to respond to climate-driven disasters.