Federal agency cuts contributed to tragedy

I have been watching the horrific and deadly scenes in Texas; the pain and despair is palpable. They deserved better — better warnings, earlier warnings — but because of the senseless and dangerous cuts in funding to NOAA and NWS, there was a failure to notify those who were in grave danger. So many innocent children never had a chance to escape. It is short-sighted and dangerous to continue to deny climate change. We have seen the devastating results with these deluges and flash floods, stronger hurricanes, more severe storms of all kinds and it will continue to get worse.

Donald Trump’s administration contributed to the loss of life in Texas. His cuts to critical agencies such as NOAA and NWS leave important positions vacant and cut back on what can be used to track dangerous weather. It is hurricane season, and I fully expect to see more violent and disastrous storms with heartbreaking results. If the funds for these critical lifesaving agencies are not restored, we may very well see tragedies like this one in Texas, or worse, play out in many different locations in our country. Does Mr. Trump care enough to protect our citizens by actually restoring those agencies? Or will he just have a “photo op” with the devastation in the background?

Cyndi Kehoe

Elk Grove Village