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.
Gallaudet, who was a Navy rear admiral, said NOAA guidance on weather and shipping channels will be so hurt by the firings that America could see more accidents like when a massive container ship ran into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024.
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.
They immediately came to NOAA and said, ‘hey, help us out’," Spinrad said, calling it “an object lesson there for Elon Musk himself” on the agency's value.
That's because “NOAA sort of gets forgotten, until it's very important,” said private meteorologist Ryan Maue, a conservative and a NOAA chief scientist under Trump.
