Cuts to the federal weather forecasting agency have been criticized in the wake of a deadly flooding event in Texas, where local offices were understaffed.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will hire as many as 450 people to shore up the National Weather Service after deep cuts this spring raised concern about dangerous understaffing.

The federal forecasting agency plans to restore some of its losses from this year’s Trump administration cuts.

Some National Weather Service offices in California are among those hit hardest by meteorologist vacancies, heightening concerns as the state contends with the threat of extreme weather.

After widespread staffing cuts earlier this year, the NWS recently gained approval to hire for hundreds of positions.

You can think of it like a puzzle and you're losing pieces and if you lose a couple pieces, you know, it's not too big of a deal. But you start losing more and