Donald Trump has been dismantling “critical” parts of California’s response to wildfires as the state braces for peak wildfire season, according to a new report.
The Trump administration has cut thousands of employees from the federal workforce in the name of government efficiency.
One government entity that has been a target of these cuts is the National Weather Service, which keeps Americans informed of weather forecasts in the hopes of preventing catastrophic outcomes from natural disasters.
Tom Fahy, legislative director of the NWS Employees Organization, told the Los Angeles Times in a Wednesday article that the weather service’s staff has decreased from 4,369 to 3,757 employees thanks to layoffs and buyouts.
“This draws attention that we have a lot of critical, critical staff shortages,” Fahy said.
An official from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which houses the NWS, told The Independent it has implemented short-term assignments to fill key vacancies at the weather service.
NOAA has also announced opportunities for its employees to apply and quickly be permanently reassigned to weather offices that need it the most, according to the official.
The official says strategic hiring and reforming how the NWS delivers value to the American people will improve the service in the long term.
Staffing shortages at NWS offices in California could lead to problems in the coming months, when the state experiences the worst of its wildfires.
California is still recovering from devastating wildfires that raged through Los Angeles County in January.
The Palisades and Eaton fires led to 30 deaths and saw thousands of structures destroyed.
The Hanford office, which covers the San Joaquin Valley, including Fresno and Bakersfield, has five meteorologists and eight vacancies, the LA Times reported, citing data from the NWS Employees Organization.
Fahy said the office’s 62 percent vacancy rate is the worst in the country.
The Sacramento office, which also covers Stockton, Modesto, Vallejo, Chico and Redding, follows the Hanford office with the second-worst vacancy rate in the country. That office has eight meteorologists and eight vacancies, according to Fahy.
