We often feel the true value of something when it’s taken away. That’s hitting home for me lately.
The season’s first round of severe thunderstorms came through last Friday. In the past, when tornado sirens went off, and we took refuge in our basement, I mostly focused on calming my child’s nerves and wondering if I forgot anything in the yard that might take flight. As I tracked the storm on my phone, there was also that niggling worry: will we be unfortunate this time? I haven’t thought much about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. But I’m thinking about it now.
In a stated effort to cut federal spending in February, the Trump administration dismissed more than 800 employees from NOAA. This month, they announced plans to close two critical radar and forecasting centers. Meteorologists warn these cuts will reduce NOAA’s capacity both for long-term research and immediate forecasting. NOAA’s work enables tornado warnings. It also shapes evacuation orders for hurricanes, tsunamis, and forest fires. It aids in aviation safety and protects search-and-rescue missions. It shapes the forecasts farmers rely on to grow the food we eat. During research projects with Midwest farmers, I’ve heard time and again how accurate weather forecasting makes the difference between a good crop or a loss, profit or financial hardship. And NOAA is one of dozens of recent gashes to federal agencies. Others target our National Parks, tax-filing assistance, cancer research, Medicaid, and more.
What has your government done for you lately? It’s done a lot. We just don’t always appreciate these things until they’re being taken away. It’s time we start appreciating them – and do what we can to protect them.
I’m Emily McKee, and that’s my perspective.
