Alright, so over the weekend and through Monday, some pretty intense tornadoes, storms, and hail decided to make an appearance in parts of the Midwestern and Southern United States. They were really on a roll, killing more than 25 people and destroying dozens of homes. Now, as survivors try to figure out what to do next with their damaged property, they’re also bracing themselves for more crazy weather today and throughout the week. To make matters worse, the storm front is expected to move even farther eastward.
This storm system is really putting the National Weather Service to the test. You see, they’ve had a rough time lately with layoffs and program cuts under the Trump administration. Since President Donald Trump took office, almost 600 people have left the NWS, either getting fired or retiring. That’s about 10 percent of the agency’s total staff, leaving some regions seriously understaffed right before one of the deadliest extreme weather seasons of the year. And that’s not good news, folks.
The former bigwigs at the NWS are pretty worried about all these staff cuts and how it’s going to lead to unnecessary loss of life. Early reports show that moving staff around has helped the NWS deal with some of the worst tornadoes in Kentucky, but experts are still concerned that undermanned weather centers could result in a lot more weather-related deaths in the upcoming hurricane season. It’s a real mess out there, folks. Let’s hope things start looking up soon.
