Texas floods, questions raised about the capacity of the US Weather Service

After the devastating flood disaster in Texas, the US, questions are being raised about the capacity of the country’s weather service. It has been alleged that the loss of life and damage is so high because of the lack of timely and accurate forecasts. Those concerned say that the weather office could not predict the disaster on time and accurately due to the manpower shortage. Due to which residents did not get the opportunity to prepare in advance. The US government’s policy of laying off employees to reduce waste is being blamed for such a major disaster. Continuous rains began in the state of Texas from Friday. The water level of the Guadalupe River rose by 26 feet in just one hour. More than fifty people lost their lives in a 48-hour period. Questions are being raised about how so many people lost their lives in such a short period of time. Although it may sound surprising, many are initially blaming the US government’s policy of cutting costs for the damage caused by the disaster. To reduce waste, the Department of Government Efficiency cut funds from various state institutions across the country and laid off thousands of employees. Analysts claim that this is why organizations like the weather office are suffering from a manpower shortage. That is why disaster forecasts could not be given properly. Former administrator of the US Weather Bureau Dr. Rick Spinrad said, I doubt whether the people concerned have done their job. Many weather forecasting offices are now running with a shortage of staff. That is, there is additional pressure on those who are working. We have to think about how much this reason is responsible for what is happening in Texas. It is also being said that meteorologists could not imagine that the water level could rise so quickly due to continuous rain. The decision to lay off staff has put the US Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-NOAA and other weather offices in trouble. There is a fear that this will reduce capacity. Which will make it difficult to predict disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods in the coming days.