On the side of twelve misty mountains
As the storm approaches, consider the benefits of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
I like rain; its reflections of lights on concrete; the little white dots lit by streetlights, falling from the sky; the coolness and freshness in the air. Its pause.
I love a good thunderstorm and don’t mind being awakened in the middle of the night by one.
So I’m not too upset by the current precipitation or the flood warnings that are in effect locally until tomorrow morning. Caution should keep us safe.
But the situation is much worse for our southern neighbors.
Hurricane Helene is barreling toward the Florida panhandle in the Gulf Coast. As I write, Helene has become a Category 2 storm — “Winds of 96-110 mph, causing moderate damage like coastal flooding, water and electricity shortages, and uprooted trees and signs,” the National Weather Service says — and is expected to reach Category 4 by the time it lands this evening — “Winds of 130-156 mph, causing catastrophic damage like loss of roof structure and exterior walls, downed power poles and uprooted trees.”
Worse than the property damage, of course, is the threat to life, human and otherwise.
Consider the photo at the top of the page: a Waffle House in Crawfordville, Fla., closed ahead of the hurricane. If Waffle House closes, you damn well know the storm means business.
Fortunately, residents have plenty of warning, thanks to the National Weather Service, a subsidiary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a federal agency “that provides daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, climate predictions and projections, as well as nautical charts and navigational information,” as verifythis.com explains. Information provided by NOAA has saved countless American lives since it was first implemented in 1970.
Imagine if it didn’t exist. Imagine the lives that would be lost because people didn’t receive adequate, timely warning to pack up and get out.
That is very likely to be the case if former president and convicted felon Donald Trump is returned to office.
Hear me out.
It’s in writing, after all. One of the many harmful and radical provisions in Project 2025, designed by Trump loyalists, is to dismantle the NOAA.
Why? Several reasons. One, as outlined in Michael Lewis’s “The Fifth Risk,” is greed: Trump has friends who would prefer to privatize such information — sell weather reports to people who could afford, say, another $20-per-month subscription to maintain and access the satellites that gather the data, plus a healthy profit. This would include farmers and news professionals as well as regular folks like you and me.
“In other words,” NPR’s Brian Naylor explained in an interview in 2018, “you want to know if it's going to rain tomorrow? Or which way that hurricane is tracking? Well, buy our app, or subscribe to our forecasts.”
Another reason is political: Because NOAA accepts the reality of climate change, documents the reality of climate change, which conflicts with the GOP’s reflexive denial of all things, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis puts it, “woke.”
Project 2025 claims that the very acknowledgement of climate change is politically motivated.
Then there’s the vindictiveness of the man who drew a circle on a weather map with a sharpie rather than admit that an off-hand remark he made about a hurricane’s course was wrong.
This is a man whose inability to admit fault and thirst for retribution know no limits.
screenshot, Yahoo search of “Trump threats”
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As if that’s not enough, Project 2025 would also greatly reduce federal disaster relief, the largest source of assistance following destructive weather events like floods and hurricanes, which are on the increase.
There is a physical reality, as defined by maps, charts, measurements, as well as the very water falling from the sky. It’s not my opinion that it’s raining in Winston-Salem today; it’s a fact. It’s not an opinion that increased greenhouse gases are trapping heat in the atmosphere, leading to a rise in global temperature; it’s a fact.
Muddying the waters between fact and fiction is dangerous business.
The loss of useful public information is just one of the many negative effects lined up for us if we go the wrong way. Fortunately, at this point, we’ve got a choice. We’ve got a clear warning and plenty of time to do something with it.
Let’s take heed.
…..
Overflow:
Helene will likely reach Raleigh:
It’s all about power and greed:
Project 2025 would greatly reduce federal disaster relief, just when we need it the most:
NPR and Michael Lewis warned us years ago:
After the NOAA corrected Trump’s claim that Hurricane Dorian might hit Alabama, he threw a hissy fit:
https://time.com/5775953/trump-dorian-alabama-sharpiegate-noaa/
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won’t even allow the term “climate change” to be used:
His recalcitrance has already hurt the state:
https://time.com/6288683/florida-desantis-environment-climate-change/
Zimmy sings it:
Take care; take shelter; take courage. We’re going to be fine.
Another thoughtful reflection, thanks. Your conclusion urging that we "take head" may have been a typo. But, on the other hand, it just be a reminder that we should "use our heads," as well as to "take heed," to avoid following those who distract and dissemble.
That’s really good, Mick -