Debris, trees and brush sit piled along the western bank of the Guadalupe River near Flatrock Park in Kerrville, Texas. Credit: Amber Esparza

In response to a letter by Rep. Greg Casar — a Democrat whose district includes parts of San Antonio and Austin — the Office of the Inspector General has agreed to probe the impact of the Trump White House’s staffing cuts at the National Weather Service (NWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
 Casar’s July 11 letter raised concerns about “severe shortages” in staffing at the agencies, including vacancies at their Texas offices at the time of the July 4 flood that killed at least 135 people. At the time of the catastrophe, local NWS offices were missing personnel including a warning-coordination meteorologist and a meteorologist in charge.

“While the direct impact of nationwide staffing shortages on the disaster is unclear, the tragic loss of life suffered underscores the urgent need to fully understand what contributed to this disaster and how lives can be best protected moving forward,” Casar wrote. “Rigorous investigation is needed not only to provide answers to grieving communities in Central Texas, but also to save lives in future extreme weather events.”

Democrats Reps. Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Robert Garcia of California also signed the letter. All three lawmakers are on on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

The Office of the Inspector General, an independent oversight organization under U.S. Department of Commerce, will examine overall staffing levels at NWS and NOAA, especially their Texas operations, representatives from Casar’s office said.

Some Texas elected officials have blamed the National Weather Service (NWS) for inadequate forecasting and weather warnings before the storm struck. What’s more, experts told the New York Times that personnel shortages at the agency — which have doubled since Donald Trump took office — likely complicated forecasters’ attempts to coordinate with local emergency management groups.

In comments to the times, some former NWS officials defended the forecasts, though. They maintain government meteorologists were as accurate as could be expected given the storm’s quick build.

Even so, more than half of Americans in a new poll by The Economist/YouGov said the government could have prevented the deaths from the devastating Texas floods. A total of 52% agreed that “most of the deaths from the floods in Texas could have been avoided if the government had been better prepared” as opposed to those who felt the tragedy was unavoidable.

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This article appears in Jul 10-23, 2025.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...