The federal weather and oceans agency touches people’s daily lives in unno
ticed ways, so massive firings there will likely cause needless deaths and a big hit to America’s economy, according to the people who ran it.
The first round of firings started Thursday at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a government agency that m
onitors the oceans, the atmosphere where storms roam and space, and puts out hundreds
of “products” daily. Those products generally save lives and money, experts say.
NOAA’s 301 billion weather forecasts every year reach 96% of American households.
The firings are “going to affect safety of flight, safety of shipping, safety of eve
ryday Americans,” Admiral Tim Gallaudet told The Associated Press Friday. Presid
ent Donald Trump appointed Gallaudet as acting NOAA chief during his last administration. “Lives are at risk for sure.”
Former NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad agreed.
“We’re getting into prime tornado time. We’re getting into planting season f
id. “It’s going to affect safety. It’s going to affect the economy.”
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That’s because “NOAA sort of gets forgotten, until it’s very important,” said priv
ate meteorologist Ryan Maue, a conservative and a NOAA chief scientist under Trump.
“This throws sand in the gears” of an agency that is understaffed but doing “a Herculean job,” Maue said.
Elon Musk has repeatedly defended federal workforce cuts by his Department of Government Efficiency as “common sense.”
“The people voted for major government reform, and that’s what the people are going to get,” Musk said from the Oval Office this mo
nth. “That’s what democracy is all about.”
What does NOAA do?
The agency creates daily weather forecasts from 122 local offices, issuing wa
rnings for deadly tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, wildfires and floods.
Disaster and local officials use those to advise the public on how to avoid danger. Farmers use seasonal outlooks for crop advice. Pi
lots use aviation forecasts. Forecasts from private weather apps on phones, on television and elsewhere are based on NOAA satellites, data and forecasts.
“That’s an amazing undertaking to monitor that. You can’t count on TV meteorologists to fill this gap and you can’t count on private meteorology,” Maue said. “You can’t count on your weather app to call you up and alert you” to tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and floods in your area.
What is the potential impact of the dismissals?
In the west, dozens of NOAA meteorologists provide firefighting crews with up-to-the-minute forecasts on wind and other shifting conditions that affect fires and could mean life or death, said Elbert “Joe” Friday, a former director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. They also are key in avalanche warnings.
In the water, ships use the agency’s weather forecasts and mapping of water channels for safety, while NOAA manages fisheries worth hundreds of billions of dollars and stunning ocean sanctuaries.
