I learned that effective … May 18, there will no longer be 24-hour staffing at the National Weather Service Office in Marquette. What does this mean? No weather forecasting services/updates at night.

A sudden storm at night on Lake Superior? Mariners cannot seek shelter. A sudden thunderstorm with large hail, heavy winds, possible tornado? None of us can seek shelter. An unexpected sudden snowstorm at night with make travel hazardous? Drivers cannot alter plans or seek shelter. Anyone with extended time living in the UP knows these things happen regularly.

Nationwide, the NWS had already lost close to 600 employees. Some weather forecasting offices have cut back on the twice-daily launches of weather balloons that collect data and make daily forecasts and forecast models possible. An agreement last month between the National Weather Service and its employees’ union warned of “degraded” services. Five former directors recently wrote an open letter saying they “feared the cuts had been so deep that lives would soon be endangered.”

In addition, there have been large cuts to FEMA, which aides recovery after storms.Decreased forecasting/ability to prepare for storms plus decreased assistance to recover from disasters equals more damage and injury.