The National Weather Service (NWS) – a truly essential federal agency -- literally cannot pay its bills, according to Bloomberg . Some vendors may have to wait a year before getting paid! As we saw last night and earlier today with extensive tornado (example below) and flood damage from Texas to Florida that caused more than 700,000 people to lose power, the NWS is essential to save lives, avert property loss, and provide the atmospheric and oceanic data needed for personal safety, commerce, and science across the Nation and the World. Lake Charles this morning Slidell, MS Tornado this morning Nevertheless, the NWS, from my observations, is troubled agency. The unpaid bill and other issues are significantly worse than described in the article. For example, · The water was turned off for a day at the NWS office that serves the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. · The essential w...