The administration under President Trump has discontinued a training initiative aimed at equipping meteorologists for natural disaster scenarios, an action that critics argue might lead to severe repercussions.
In theWhite House’s latest round ofgovernment downsizing Federal authorities decided to cancel incident meteorologist training sessions for personnel from the National Weather Service (NWS).
The course provides special training for NWS forecasters, certifying that these individuals know how to give accurate weather reports to emergency crews during
major disasters For instance, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires.
The move is already causing panic within the agency, with one anonymous source telling The Hill that cancelling the training could leave Americans ill-prepared for the country’s next extreme weather event.
As stated in an email regarding the issue, the training session was called off because of insufficient staff and updated rules limiting how much government workers can expend on travel expenses.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is a component of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with both organizations being subordinate to the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC).
This week, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced the cancellation of more than 200,000 employee credit cards, including more than 11,000 from DoC.
This reportedly included travel cards used by NWS members that would have attended the incident meteorologist training.
A senior official with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told
The Hill: ‘The bottom line is we are no longer paying for non-employee travel. We are only authorizing travel for mission critical programs, this isn’t one.’
DHS oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is also cancelling their own disaster training courses due to the budget cuts.
On Tuesday, DOGE posted on X that of the more than 285,000 credit cards being used by employees in 16 government agencies, just 81,000 are still active.
The cost-cutting decisions come after a devastating series of wildfires ravaged the Los Angeles area in January.
The month-long blaze is now being called one of the
costliest natural disasters
In American history, resulting in damages exceeding $250 billion.
In the midst of a wildfire, incident meteorologists (IMETs) collaborate with state and local firefighting authorities along with the U.S. Forest Service to supply up-to-the-minute information about various weather conditions including wind directions and thunderstorm activity.
This enables all those battling the blazes to understand what’s approaching and where they should head, since the weather impacts the direction of the fire.
As per the NWS, an IMET could arrive at the site of a natural disaster between 24 to 48 hours. Nevertheless, this timeline largely hinges on their means of transportation—with costs now possibly introducing a fresh complication.
Lynn Budd, who leads Wyoming’s Office of Homeland Security, stated: “Their role is to assist us in making those predictions, enabling us to safeguard lives and property as situations unfold.”
Meanwhile, theNew York Times
unveiled this weekend that the Trump Administration plans to dismiss more than 1,000 workers from NOAA.
Combined with previous layoffs and resignations this year, NOAA will soon have lost 20 percent of their agency’s workforce.
In a February 25 statement NOAA officials stated: “Should this continue, additional interference from the administration with NOAA’s essential services and mission may jeopardize our economy, health, public welfare, and national security.”
‘Undermining NOAA’s operations could risk the safety of millions of Americans and destabilize countless industries, from farming and fisheries to energy and finance, threatening job losses and economic downturn,’ the agency added.
Last March, 70 IMETs working with NOAA gathered in Boise, Idaho to take this training and prepare for the upcoming wildfire season.
NOAA officials said in a
2024 statement
‘While training, IMETs study how fires respond to specific weather conditions, types of fuel, and topography.’
They likewise acquire skills in predicting fire weather conditions across intricate mountainous regions stretching from Alaska to the Appalachian mountains.
By last year, NOAA possessed 90 certified IMETS and 36 trainees prepared to deploy across the nation for forecasting severe scenarios during natural calamities.
Trainees require over 250 hours of IMET training to achieve certification.
Nevertheless, such training follows multiple years required to obtain a meteorology degree, secure a position with the National Weather Service (NWS), and accumulate sufficient forecasting experience until the organization selects that meteorologist for the IMET course.
In simple terms, the number of available IMETs does not increase rapidly, and currently, the training needed to certify new officials might also be dwindling.
