As Kentucky recovers from another round of severe storms that have killed at least 18 people, the three National Weather Service offices in Kentucky have been hobbled by low staffing levels, according to media reports and union officials.
The Jackson office in Breathitt County no longer has enough staff to cover overnight shifts, according to the Washington Post and union officials.
The weather service cuts were part of a wider effort by Donald Trump’s administration to ax the federal workforce and cut spending.
More than 600 National Weather Service staff out of more than 4,200 were fired or took early retirement since January. That’s the same number of people who left the service over a 15-year period from 2010 to early January.
Funnily enough, Kentucky had 4 people fighting for the Union for every 1 that fought for the confederacy.
It tried to stay neutral during the civil war until its capital got taken over by the confederates.
They’re certainly making up for that now