Here are some thoughts to start the week.... Netflix Joplin Documentary. We don't have NETFLIX and I have not had a chance to see the documentary on the Joplin Tornado. Based on descriptions provided by friends, there appears to be at least one major error of fact in the program, so don't believe everything you watch. If you want to read what really happened -- and what went so horribly wrong -- I wrote a book on that horrible storm.  The paper copies of the book sold out very quickly. We decided to price the ebook very inexpensively so many could read it. You will find the   When the Sirens Were Silent  here and the Amazon Cloud Reader (free, top of page) so you can read it in the same page layout as if you were reading the paper book. The cost is just $2.99. When/if I watch the documentary, I will write a review.  National Disaster Review Board. Of the comments on the piece at Roger's blog , I was surprised by the number of people who didn't understand what the N...

Please read Ryan's concise message: Ryan is absolutely correct. As we have said, over and over, NOAA is a mess and, possibly, corrupt. Under Biden, NOAA treated the National Weather Service (NWS) as if it was a bothersome and unimportant brother.  My advice to President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is that NOAA is not salvageable and that the NWS and weather-related parts of NOAA should be spun into a stand-alone agency. The details of how this would work are here . The additional monies desperately needed by NWS can come by drastically cutting FEMA. Details on my proposal for FEMA are here . Questions? Just post them in the comments. 

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...