Key positions at National Weather Service offices across Texas are vacant, sowing doubt over the state’s ability to respond to natural disasters as rescuers comb through the flood-ravaged Hill Country.

Dallas faces a flood watch from the NWS due to potential heavy rains and thunderstorms amid high temperatures.

In the wake of last week’s catastrophic floods in the Texas Hill Country, on Friday Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency

NWS says Flash Flood Warnings were issued on July 3 and early July 4 in Central Texas, giving more than three hours of warning.

The White House is defending the National Weather Service and accusing some Democrats of playing politics in the wake of devastating floods in Texas.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut hundreds of jobs as the National Weather Service earlier this year.

"A lot of the weather forecast offices now are not operating at full complement of staff," said the former lead of NOAA.

Some governors and mayors are concerned over how current or potential cuts to agencies will impact how the government can respond in the future to major weather events.