Bay Area weather experts and politicians are sounding the alarm and said cuts to the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from the Department of Government Efficiency are a disservice to the community.
In an effort to reduce government spending, White House officials said more than 600 employees with the NWS and NOAA have been laid off. Eugene Cordero, a professor in the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science at San Jose State University, said the move would put people's safety at risk.
"We need to know when the rain is going to hit, how strong the winds are, the best data possible to help emergency responders save lives. That is the bottom line," Cordero said.
During the raging fires in Southern California, NWS meteorologists provided critical data to help crews battle the infernos that devastated the Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
Congressman Jared Huffman, a U.S. Natural Resources Committee member, said the cuts will "cost lives."
"People nationwide depend on NOAA for free accurate forecasts, severe weather alerts, and emergency information,” Huffman told NBC Bay Area in a statement.
In addition to the cuts already made, Richard Hirn, general counsel for NWS employees, said he's concerned some NWS offices that are staffed 24/7 may be forced to close.
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"It's very conceivable not enough staffing,g and that's a great concern to us," he said
Most of those laid off were probationary employees, but Cordero said the nation will be hurt without the most accurate data on everything from climate change to tornadoes.
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"It's really undermining the science we do," he said.
PG&E uses NOAA data to help predict heat waves to manage the energy gris, and universities rely heavily on that data for research. Both of which could possibly be impacted by the cuts.
