AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Office of the Inspector General on Friday announced it has initiated an audit on National Weather Service staffing levels and an examination into the “circumstances” surrounding recent Texas floods.
According to an audit description related to the Texas floods, the memo “initiates an evaluation to determine actions taken by the National Weather Service prior to the catastrophic flash flood event in Texas.”
A separate audit related to NWS staffing levels would also help “determine whether staffing levels, hiring limitations, and operational practices at NWS field offices … impacted the agency’s ability to effectively respond to high-impact weather events.”
Catastrophic flash flooding occurred in Texas during the July 4 weekend that resulting in the death of 135 people and leaving at least 102 people missing.