Meteorologists are rejecting claims that recent National Weather Service (NWS) staffing cuts under the Trump administration contributed to the deadly Texas floods that have killed more than 80 people. The controversy began after ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos claimed that “significant staffing shortfalls” at NWS offices may have delayed critical warnings ahead of the flooding, particularly near a Christian girls’ camp in Kerr County.
Experts quickly pushed back. Greg Waller, a hydrologist with the NWS West Gulf River Forecast Center, stated, “We had adequate staffing. We had adequate technology. This was us doing our job to the best of our abilities.” He confirmed that NWS offices were fully operational during the disaster.
Tom Fahy of the National Weather Service Employees Organization echoed the sentiment, saying the team had “adequate” personnel to issue timely warnings before and during the emergency. In fact, the Associated Press reported that extra forecasters were on duty in anticipation of the storm.
A timeline shows that NWS issued flash flood warnings Thursday afternoon, followed by flash flood emergencies—among the agency’s highest alert levels—by early Friday morning. At 4:03 a.m., a bulletin warned of “catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life.”
The Department of Homeland Security also countered media narratives through official posts, and meteorologist Ryan Maue called the reports “[g]rotesque misinformation,” affirming that NWS in Texas “did their jobs admirably, as always.” Despite national scrutiny, evidence overwhelmingly shows that forecasters responded quickly and effectively to the crisis.
