NOAA's Big Shake-Up: Hundreds of Jobs Vanish

The Trump administration has been making big cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Around 800 employees were told to pack their bags and leave. The agency is responsible for keeping an eye on weather, climate, and the environment. The layoffs happened on Thursday, and more could be on the way by the end of the week. This shake-up affects almost every part of NOAA, from weather experts to ocean scientists. The hardest hit were the probationary employees, those who had been on the job for less than a year. The National Weather Service, a key part of NOAA, has between 350 and 375 of these employees. Some crucial roles, like those involved in predicting life-threatening disasters, might have been spared. But the exact number of those let go is still unclear. The layoffs have left many employees in shock. Some are already talking about taking legal action. The news spread quickly, but not through official channels. Word of mouth was the main way people found out. The letters given to those fired stated that their skills and knowledge no longer fit the agency's needs. This is a common tactic used by some federal agencies to let people go, even if their performance reviews were good. The National Weather Service has a big job: to keep people and property safe. But with these layoffs, the agency is taking a big hit. NOAA has been understaffed for years, and now, with the climate crisis worsening and extreme weather becoming more common, this could make things even harder. Critics are worried that these cuts will make it tougher to predict hurricanes, tornadoes, and other dangerous weather events. The layoffs hit hard in key areas. For example, the Hurricane Research Division, which works on making hurricane forecasts more accurate, lost some of its experts. Andrew Hazelton, a meteorologist with a PhD, was one of those let go. He worked on improving the models used to track storms. Other departments, like the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, also saw job cuts. Zachary Labe, a modeler who worked on using machine learning and AI for weather predictions, was also let go. The layoffs are part of a bigger plan called Project 2025, which aims to shrink the government. But critics argue that these cuts could weaken America's ability to handle extreme weather. The layoffs have sparked a lot of questions about the future of NOAA and its mission to keep people safe.