1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

The recent cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) severely undermine our ability to track and prepare for extreme weather events. With 20% of NOAA's workforce laid off, including crucial staff operating weather satellites, radar systems, and hurricane monitoring teams, we are left alarmingly vulnerable. NOAA's data is vital for forecasting hurricanes, storms, floods, wildfires and other disasters that threaten lives and property. Disruptions to this data jeopardize emergency planning, disaster response, and even insurance risk modeling. Farmers, firefighters, and coastal communities all rely on NOAA's weather predictions. Continuing these reckless cuts will blind us to intensifying climate dangers and increasing extreme weather risks. For the safety of all Americans, I urge you to fully restore funding and staffing to NOAA to maintain our critical weather monitoring and forecasting capabilities. Losing this environmental intelligence puts countless lives at stake.