Chuck Schumer asked acting Inspector General Roderick Anderson to investigate if recent NWS staff cuts had an impact on the death toll from the Texas floods.

As the deadly floodwaters in parts of central Texas recede, there are growing questions about how the catastrophic rainfall seemingly caught the area by surprise. Some local officials say the National Weather Service underestimated the extreme rain but the agency says an initial flood watch was issued Thursday afternoon.

As climate change increases the frequency of environmental disasters, experts say federal cuts could leave California and other states vulnerable in the years ahead.

Texas forecasters issued a series of early-morning warnings about “life-threatening flooding” along the Guadalupe River.