We are right in the middle of hurricane season. We all watch satellite loops of hurricanes as they march off the coast of Africa and toward the east coast of the U.S. or into the Gulf of Mexico.
These images are provided by a NOAA Satellite orbiting above the earth. It gives us all a good idea of the hurricane's path and size and help officials get people out of harms way, but these weather satellites are in danger.
The head of NOAA says in a few years one of the main satellites that provides this weather information will die.
NOAA is concerned that with all the budget cuts, Congress might not fund a new satellite before the old one quits working. If this were to happen, the weather information we receive will not be as comprehensive and that could impact emergency planning.
These satellites also provide important warnings in advance of tornadoes, the kind that crash through the Ark-La-Tex.
Yes there have to be cuts in the federal budget, but this is one project that is critical to the safety of millions of Americans. We believe the NOAA Satellite needs to be funded and kept on the job. We don't want to go backwards when it comes to our weather safety.
I'm James Smith.
Copyright KSLA-TV 2011. All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2012 WorldNow and KSLA, a Raycom Media Station.
