The Devastating Impact of NOAA and National Weather Service Layoffs on Public Safety
The Trump administration’s recent decision to cut over 600 jobs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) has sent shockwaves through the scientific community and raised alarms about the potential risks to public safety. Among those laid off were highly skilled scientists, researchers, and experts who played critical roles in protecting lives and property by predicting and mitigating the impacts of severe weather events. These layoffs, which represent about 5% of the workforce at NOAA and NWS, have sparked concerns that the agencies’ ability to respond to life-threatening weather events will be severely diminished, especially as the frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters continue to rise.
Kayla Besong, a Ph.D.-holding physical scientist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, was among those laid off. Until her termination, Besong was part of a team responsible for programming systems that detect tsunami risks and issue critical alerts to vulnerable coastal regions. Her work involved analyzing seismic and tidal data to determine whether tsunamis were imminent and coordinating with military installations and emergency managers to disseminate life-saving information. Besong, who had only started her role in September, described the layoffs as a devastating blow to an agency already stretched thin. “You do need a high level of expertise to understand and jump in on these systems,” she said, emphasizing the specialized skills required for her work. The loss of such expertise, she warned, will leave the nation more vulnerable to disasters.
The layoffs have also hit other critical areas of NOAA’s operations, including hurricane modeling and flood prediction. Andy Hazelton, a Ph.D. meteorologist who helped develop NOAA’s next-generation hurricane forecasting system, was fired just months after joining the agency. Hazelton’s work involved improving the accuracy of hurricane models to give communities more time to prepare for storms. He noted that the loss of his expertise and that of other colleagues will likely delay the rollout of critical forecasting tools, putting lives at risk. Similarly, Kerri Englert, a flight director and meteorologist who played a key role in "hurricane hunter" missions, was also let go. Englert’s work involved gathering essential data during hurricanes to improve forecasting models. With her departure, NOAA now has fewer flight directors available to conduct these high-stakes missions, which could reduce the accuracy of hurricane predictions and lead to more evacuations.
The cuts have also disrupted ongoing research projects aimed at predicting and mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events. Evan Belkin, a doctoral student working at the National Weather Service’s Northeast River Forecast Center, was part of a team developing a flood inundation mapping tool. The tool, which was still in development, used advanced modeling to predict which areas would flood during heavy rain events, helping emergency managers prepare for disasters. Belkin, who was laid off along with several colleagues, warned that the project’s progress will now be severely hampered. “Without people and bodies to verify how accurate the model depictions are, you’re not going to be successful,” he said. The loss of such projects could leave communities more vulnerable to flooding, which is becoming more frequent due to climate change.
The layoffs have been met with outrage from former NOAA officials, scientists, and lawmakers, who argue that the cuts will undermine public safety during critical weather events. Rick Spinrad, who served as NOAA administrator under President Joe Biden, condemned the layoffs as “indiscriminate, misguided, and ill-informed.” He emphasized that the cuts could delay seasonal weather forecasts, hurricane predictions, and other essential services, leaving the nation unprepared for disasters. Democrats in Congress have also spoken out against the decision, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland calling the layoffs an “assault on public safety.” The senator emphasized that the loss of critical weather warnings could result in more deaths, injuries, and property damage during storms.
As the full extent of the damage becomes clear, the layoffs have already begun to disrupt NOAA’s operations. Several offices, including the National Weather Service in Kotzebue, Alaska, have suspended critical activities like weather balloon launches, while others have halted social media updates. Rachel Brittin, a former deputy director at NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, warns that the cuts will have dire consequences. “People’s lives are in danger,” she said. “We’re coming up on tornado season, hurricane season, and that is just scratching the surface.” The layoffs serve as a stark reminder of the high stakes of underfunding and understaffing critical scientific agencies. As the nation braces for more frequent and intense climate-related disasters, the loss of expertise at NOAA and NWS could prove devastating.
