Some governors and mayors are concerned over how current or potential cuts to agencies will impact how the government can respond in the future to major weather events.

Some experts say staff shortages might have complicated forecasters’ ability to coordinate responses with local emergency management officials.

As I wrote in a companion piece this weekend, the National Weather Service issued guidance and warning information in the days to hours leading up to the massive flood event. However, questions exist about whether there were challenges getting the information across what my colleague Bob Henson calls the “last mile” to the public via emergency management and communication channels.

As climate change increases the frequency of environmental disasters, experts say federal cuts could leave California and other states vulnerable in the years ahead.

"A lot of the weather forecast offices now are not operating at full complement of staff," said the former lead of NOAA.

Former federal officials and outside experts have warned for months that President Donald Trump’s staffing cuts to the National Weather Service could endanger lives.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut hundreds of jobs as the National Weather Service earlier this year.

Get the latest news on President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House and the Republican-led Congress.