MELBOURNE, Fla. — As concern continues to mount over the impact of hundreds of layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), new documents obtained by WPTV reveal that the National Weather Service (NWS) in Melbourne was already facing staffing shortages before the federal government's significant budget cuts.
Months ago, investigative reporter Kate Hussey filed a public records request to obtain a copy of NOAA's After Action Reporter for Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The report identifies what went well and what could be improved upon in the wake of those storms.
WATCH BELOW: NWS grappled with staffing shortages before firings
Under "things that could be improved," the report stated there were "no on-site deployments during either Helene or Milton due to staffing."
We reached out to NOAA directly to clarify what that meant.
A representative told us by email that "No NWS Meteorologists were available to deploy prior to and during these storms to either local or state emergency operations centers to provide direct decision support to emergency managers."
"They have been short-staffed, and that just puts more stress on the system," said Brad Colman, who was previously president of the American Meteorological Society.
Colman, who also worked for 38 years at NOAA, warned the personnel losses will not only affect the accuracy of forecasts but also hinder local officials' ability to consult with meteorologists on critical life-saving decisions, such as evacuation orders.
"You're weakening the system, and as you weaken that system, ultimately what you're doing is instead of depending upon a professional to help you through the weather or the storm you're hoping you get lucky. And I think none of us want to depend upon luck," Colman said.
Andy Hazleton, a former scientist at NOAA's Hurricane Modeling Center, is one of at least 791 employees who were laid off as part of the Department of Government Efficiency's budget cuts, according to a court filing.
Instead of focusing on hurricane models and forecasting technology, he finds himself washing dishes at home.
Hazleton, who worked out of the NWS Miami office until February, said was terminated from his position with little notice.
"We only had like an hour of notice before our email was cut off, so it was pretty crazy," Hazleton said.
Though he received a letter of reinstatement due to a temporary restraining order, he remains on paid leave rather than back at his desk.
"It's been tough because I just want to get back to doing the work that I do, protecting lives and property," Hazleton said. "In an agency that's already understaffed in some areas, I'm hoping this isn't going to lead to too much forecast degradation or too much of a problem, but if things continue, they could."
WPTV reached out to NOAA to address these concerns.
NOAA stated via email that they cannot discuss internal personnel matters, but they continue to provide "dedicated decision support" for local officials "virtually."
The agency said the following in a statement:
"We are not required by statute to deploy to an EOC for a storm. However, we prefer to deploy when we can, as being eye-to-eye with decision-makers is beneficial."
"Weather service forecasters are that first line of defense. As you remove people, you increase risk, the chance of a storm being missed, a thunderstorm being missed," said Colman in response.
That's what Hazleton fears too.
Now as he waits for answers, he hopes those in charge don't permanently wash their hands of him.
"That's not what we want to see; we want to see the forecasts continue to get better so people have a better warning when disasters do come," Hazleton said.
WPTV has contacted the White House multiple times to inquire whether the Department of Government Efficiency is aware of these concerns but has yet to receive a response.
