Weather Service Cuts Could Hurt Emergency Forecasting

 

Photo by Josh Edge, APRN - Anchorage
Trees fell, taking out power lines, hitting houses and blocking streets during wind storms in Anchorage in September 2012. Photo by Josh Edge, APRN – Anchorage

Alaska’s National Weather Service workforce is facing a political storm on two fronts.  While sequestration has frozen hire on vacant positions, an upcoming furlough will further reduce staff in offices already barely able to cover the workload.

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APTI Reporter-Producer Ellen Lockyer started her radio career in the late 1980s, after a stint at bush Alaska weekly newspapers, the Copper Valley Views and the Cordova Times. When the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Valdez Public Radio station KCHU needed a reporter, and Ellen picked up the microphone.
Since then, she has literally traveled the length of the state, from Attu to Eagle and from Barrow to Juneau, covering Alaska stories on the ground for the AK show, Alaska News Nightly, the Alaska Morning News and for Anchorage public radio station, KSKA
elockyer (at) alaskapublic (dot) org  |  907.550.8446 | About Ellen

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