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-Uh, let's get out of here, come on!
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00:00:17,393 --> 00:00:19,729
Uh, I think maybe
there's some shelter over this way?
3
00:00:19,812 --> 00:00:24,150
Goddammit. Quick!
Come on, come on. Oh shit, oh shit oh--
4
00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,244
Is everyone okay? Okay good.
5
00:00:37,455 --> 00:00:40,500
You know what
my earliest memory is as a child?
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It's when Hurricane Gloria
hit Long Island in 1985.
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Me and my parents were huddled
in the basement, in a blackout,
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praying that we'd be safe as the hurricane
passed directly over our heads.
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And… to this day,
every time a hurricane approaches
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00:01:01,145 --> 00:01:02,814
I feel just that helpless.
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00:01:04,982 --> 00:01:07,068
You know,
we act like this big tough species,
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00:01:07,151 --> 00:01:10,822
but Mother Nature has us beat.
She doesn't care about our plans!
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She can rain on our TV shoots,
flood our towns, knock out our power--
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And we have no control over any of it.
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The best, the very best we can do,
is to predict the weather
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so we can plan for it
and pick up the pieces after it hits.
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And those are things
that none of us can do alone.
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You know when you think about it,
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isn't that kind of the
main thing a government is for?
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To protect us from threats that are
too big to handle by ourselves?
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Oh fiddle! I don't need
the government to predict the weather.
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Old lefty here says a storm's a brewing.
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You wanna squeeze her?
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Ah…
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I'll take a rain check.
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No, we need something
a little better than that.
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You know, most days
I only use the weather report as
28
00:02:02,540 --> 00:02:04,417
an excuse to not go jogging,
29
00:02:04,500 --> 00:02:09,839
but, if we can't tell a hurricane
is on the way, people… you know, die.
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00:02:09,922 --> 00:02:12,842
Not only that,
entire sectors of our society,
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from farming to shipping to air travel,
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depend on our ability
to accurately predict the weather.
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00:02:18,431 --> 00:02:21,976
Air Traffic Control.
No one told us about this ice storm
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so we and every other plane
in the region are going down, down, down.
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Over!
36
00:02:28,816 --> 00:02:31,152
So where do weather predictions come from?
37
00:02:31,235 --> 00:02:34,739
Well, for most of my life I assumed
the AccuWeather app on my phone,
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00:02:34,822 --> 00:02:36,449
or the weatherman on TV.
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00:02:40,161 --> 00:02:45,166
This is your weatherman, Sam Storm,
with today's Doppler-Hojillion forecast,
40
00:02:45,249 --> 00:02:47,084
and it's gonna be a wet one Linda.
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00:02:47,168 --> 00:02:49,879
Uh-oh. I better get out my galoshes!
42
00:02:51,839 --> 00:02:53,674
You and your galoshes!
43
00:02:53,758 --> 00:02:57,178
But, haven't you ever wondered
where they get their data from?
44
00:02:57,261 --> 00:03:00,348
Oh! You know I have always wondered that.
45
00:03:00,431 --> 00:03:01,807
Sam, dear angel,
46
00:03:01,891 --> 00:03:05,519
where do you get all those pretty
green clouds and numbers from?
47
00:03:05,603 --> 00:03:07,605
Or is it a secret?
48
00:03:08,689 --> 00:03:12,860
I can't say no to you Linda.
As you can see on the map,
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00:03:12,944 --> 00:03:15,446
the federal government's
National Weather Service has
50
00:03:15,529 --> 00:03:19,951
blanketed the country with weather
observation posts, high-resolution radar,
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00:03:20,034 --> 00:03:23,454
and even a smattering
of sixteen satellites.
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00:03:23,537 --> 00:03:27,291
And all that government science
is creating a huge mass of weather data
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flowing across the country.
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00:03:30,211 --> 00:03:31,963
Turning now to your local weather,
55
00:03:32,046 --> 00:03:34,173
we're gonna start to see
that data turned into forecast
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by government meteorologists in your area.
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00:03:36,425 --> 00:03:37,885
Then as the day goes on, they'll
58
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push those forecasts out
to the public for everyone to use
59
00:03:41,222 --> 00:03:44,016
and we'll see them picked up
by countless organizations,
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agencies and media outlets like us, Linda.
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00:03:48,271 --> 00:03:52,942
Hey, is that a picture of Denzel?
Just kidding?
62
00:04:05,246 --> 00:04:10,334
So all those weather apps,
newspapers and TV weather guys like you,
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00:04:10,418 --> 00:04:13,170
they really get their weather
forecast from the government?
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00:04:13,254 --> 00:04:17,300
That's right, Linda, I'm a stuffed shirt
with a communications degree.
65
00:04:17,383 --> 00:04:19,760
Get a load of that guy! Hot stuff!
66
00:04:23,014 --> 00:04:27,310
Wow. So there's really one of these
government meteorologists where I live?
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00:04:27,393 --> 00:04:28,853
Shut the front door!
68
00:04:28,936 --> 00:04:30,396
That's right, Linda.
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00:04:32,481 --> 00:04:35,401
Whoop! Get out of the shot, Sam!
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00:04:36,068 --> 00:04:38,821
Amazing, right? Wherever you live,
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00:04:38,904 --> 00:04:42,616
there's a National Weather Service
meteorologist releasing weather balloons,
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00:04:42,700 --> 00:04:46,787
analyzing data and writing
weather predictions for you.
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00:04:46,871 --> 00:04:51,375
And it takes thousands of them,
working together across the country
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00:04:51,459 --> 00:04:54,128
on a massive national science project,
75
00:04:54,211 --> 00:04:57,340
just to deliver that little
weather alert to your phone.
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00:04:58,174 --> 00:05:02,219
It's going to rain? Oh no,
we have to cancel the fun run!
77
00:05:02,303 --> 00:05:05,473
Sorry everyone,
I was really looking forward to it too.
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00:05:05,556 --> 00:05:08,392
You know,
weather prediction, like clean water,
79
00:05:08,476 --> 00:05:10,978
is something that
none of us can live without.
80
00:05:11,937 --> 00:05:15,232
That's why it's the
very definition of a public good.
81
00:05:15,316 --> 00:05:19,862
A vital service that the government
provides for free, to the public,
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00:05:19,945 --> 00:05:21,447
because they're the only ones who can.
83
00:05:21,530 --> 00:05:26,243
Stay precipitated everyone!
Your tax dollars at work.
84
00:05:27,286 --> 00:05:31,874
But, wait 'til you get wind of this,
what if I told you
85
00:05:31,957 --> 00:05:35,669
that someone has been trying
to take that public good away from you?
86
00:05:35,753 --> 00:05:38,422
See, just like
a bottled water company
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00:05:38,506 --> 00:05:40,591
might slap their own label on tap water,
88
00:05:40,674 --> 00:05:43,969
private weather companies like
AccuWeather and The Weather Channel,
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00:05:44,053 --> 00:05:45,971
repackage that public weather data,
90
00:05:46,055 --> 00:05:48,849
add a sprinkle of their
own data and analysis,
91
00:05:48,933 --> 00:05:52,311
and sell it to news outlets,
apps and consumers.
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00:05:52,394 --> 00:05:57,358
Get your premium weather predictions here.
Way better than that free government junk.
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00:05:58,317 --> 00:06:01,112
Now, there's nothing wrong
with a private company
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00:06:01,195 --> 00:06:03,155
building its business on public data.
95
00:06:03,239 --> 00:06:05,741
I mean that's literally
what it's there for.
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00:06:05,825 --> 00:06:07,118
In recent years though,
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00:06:07,201 --> 00:06:09,829
AccuWeather has started to view
the National Weather Service
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00:06:09,912 --> 00:06:13,457
as not just their supplier,
but as their competition.
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00:06:13,541 --> 00:06:18,254
Huh, yeah it'd be good
for business if we were the only ones
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00:06:18,337 --> 00:06:20,548
who had access to that data.
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00:06:20,631 --> 00:06:25,177
So, for the last two decades,
we've waged a cunning campaign
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00:06:25,261 --> 00:06:29,181
to stop the weather service
from communicating with the public.
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00:06:34,937 --> 00:06:38,858
In 2005, we lobbied to try to ban them
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from sharing routine weather predictions
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with anyone but
commercial providers like us.
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00:06:45,781 --> 00:06:50,536
Huh? That's weird, uh, let me just call…
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And in 2012,
we actually blocked the weather service
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from developing, a free, public, app.
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00:06:59,837 --> 00:07:02,631
Hey, uh, you know our scientists
generate the data that you use--
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00:07:02,715 --> 00:07:05,467
Ssh ssh ssh. Nah ah-uh.
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00:07:06,385 --> 00:07:08,304
The National Weather Service
is not allowed
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00:07:08,387 --> 00:07:10,764
to advertise their amazing science,
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00:07:10,848 --> 00:07:13,767
which has given us
free reign to convince the public
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00:07:13,851 --> 00:07:16,353
that we are the true weather gods.
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00:07:17,855 --> 00:07:22,109
Get your weather
predictions from us, the only source,
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00:07:22,193 --> 00:07:26,989
because even though your tax dollars
have already paid for these forecasts,
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00:07:27,072 --> 00:07:29,366
we prefer you to pay us again.
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00:07:31,452 --> 00:07:34,121
It's unbelievable, isn't it?
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00:07:34,205 --> 00:07:38,667
AccuWeather has tried to turn
this public good into private property.
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00:07:38,751 --> 00:07:41,837
Even though their entire
business is built on the free data
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the government gives them.
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00:07:44,089 --> 00:07:47,885
Imagine a future where extreme
weather warnings live behind a pay wall.
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00:07:47,968 --> 00:07:51,096
So you only find out a tornado's
on the way, if you can pay.
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00:07:51,180 --> 00:07:52,890
Oh, stop imagining!
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00:07:52,973 --> 00:07:58,145
In 2015, we at AccuWeather spotted
a tornado headed for Moore, Oklahoma,
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00:07:58,229 --> 00:08:01,774
but we only alerted our
paying customers to the threat.
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00:08:08,113 --> 00:08:09,490
You know what the worst part is?
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00:08:09,573 --> 00:08:12,993
All of this flew
completely under our radar.
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00:08:13,077 --> 00:08:15,412
You know, last time
the postal service was in trouble,
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00:08:15,496 --> 00:08:18,707
I started splurging on stamps,
like everybody else.
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00:08:18,791 --> 00:08:21,377
But where were we
when weather was weakened?
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Public goods need public support,
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00:08:25,089 --> 00:08:28,968
especially because,
when truly extreme weather threatens,
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these folks risk
their lives to protect us.
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00:08:54,827 --> 00:08:56,120
Hey Adam, you're ready to do this?
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00:08:56,203 --> 00:08:59,665
We're getting ready to fly through
the middle of a major hurricane.
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00:08:59,748 --> 00:09:01,584
Okay, why is that?
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00:09:01,667 --> 00:09:04,587
Uh, we're going in to gather data
to help the National Hurricane Center
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00:09:04,670 --> 00:09:07,381
predict the intensity and
the track of this storm so they can
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00:09:07,464 --> 00:09:10,467
give the proper warnings
for folks that might be in its path.
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00:09:10,551 --> 00:09:12,803
Cleared for take-off,
checklist complete.
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00:09:15,973 --> 00:09:19,268
-Take-off power set. Power checks.
-Oh shit.
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00:09:20,477 --> 00:09:24,898
-Okay! Next stop hurricane Sam.
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00:09:25,983 --> 00:09:27,776
-Wake it up please.
-Yeah.
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00:09:27,860 --> 00:09:32,448
So we took off from St. Croix
and flying out here about 700 miles.
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00:09:32,531 --> 00:09:35,409
We're gonna be dropping down 10,000 feet
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00:09:35,492 --> 00:09:37,911
and going through the middle of it so…
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00:09:38,662 --> 00:09:40,164
We're gonna fly through the middle of it?
149
00:09:40,247 --> 00:09:41,999
Yeah, right in the meat of it.
150
00:09:42,082 --> 00:09:44,585
Yeah we--
That's some heavy precip.
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00:09:44,668 --> 00:09:46,086
Holy shit.
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00:09:47,254 --> 00:09:49,048
You might want to
sit down with the camera.
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00:09:54,970 --> 00:09:56,972
Woah! Fuck!
154
00:10:02,186 --> 00:10:05,397
This right here is our
dropsonde. It's uh, you know,
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00:10:05,481 --> 00:10:08,692
it's a scientific weather instrument
that we use, it collects wind,
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00:10:08,776 --> 00:10:11,528
uh, pressure, temperature, humidity.
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00:10:11,612 --> 00:10:15,574
It's collecting data from the hurricane
and you shoot it out into the ocean.
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00:10:15,658 --> 00:10:17,701
-Out the bottom of this tube right here.
-Wow.
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00:10:17,785 --> 00:10:19,787
So actually I'm gonna
have you open it up here.
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00:10:20,996 --> 00:10:22,498
So yeah,
stuff that in there.
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00:10:25,584 --> 00:10:29,922
-There you go.
-Oh! There we go. Woo! Heavy.
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00:10:33,467 --> 00:10:35,177
That was it.
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00:10:35,260 --> 00:10:37,971
-And here's the data coming in already.
-Yeah.
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00:10:38,055 --> 00:10:41,433
So that's what the…
the humidity, the temperature of the air,
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00:10:41,517 --> 00:10:43,268
-the pressure, all that.
-Yes sir.
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00:10:43,352 --> 00:10:45,688
I always assume like,
you know, you're-- Okay, you're
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00:10:45,771 --> 00:10:48,816
watching TV and you're seeing
here's where the hurricane is,
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00:10:48,899 --> 00:10:51,694
that they were doing that through
satellite or radar or something.
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00:10:51,777 --> 00:10:53,696
But you do-- This like
the movie Armageddon, it's
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00:10:53,779 --> 00:10:56,865
-like, we gotta send a team into the storm
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00:10:56,949 --> 00:11:00,911
to find the exact-- That's the only way
we know where the storm really is.
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00:11:00,994 --> 00:11:05,249
And then when you find it, you have to
drop a payload into the center of it.
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00:11:05,332 --> 00:11:07,793
-And you do that multiple times a day?
-I guess so.
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00:11:07,876 --> 00:11:09,211
-When there's a hurricane?
-I mean, we're not,
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00:11:09,294 --> 00:11:10,337
blowing up the hurricane.
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00:11:10,421 --> 00:11:12,548
You're almost blowing up the hurricane!
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00:11:12,631 --> 00:11:16,427
The aircraft is really the only way
you're going to be able to get to find out
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00:11:16,510 --> 00:11:18,262
the exact details of what's going on.
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00:11:18,345 --> 00:11:21,598
We're also collecting
weather information all around the storm
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00:11:21,682 --> 00:11:23,725
and sending that
information to the Hurricane Center.
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00:11:23,809 --> 00:11:26,228
so it tells them a lot of information.
It tells them what--
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00:11:26,311 --> 00:11:30,941
How big is the wind field around
the hurricane so they can issue warnings.
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00:11:31,024 --> 00:11:34,278
I mean, indirectly we're saving
lives or helping save lives
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00:11:34,361 --> 00:11:35,737
-Yeah.
-through emergency network, and
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00:11:35,821 --> 00:11:37,781
hurricane forecast
is putting those warnings out there.
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00:11:39,366 --> 00:11:41,618
We are deep in Sam's belly now.
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00:11:43,454 --> 00:11:45,622
Sam ain't happy
we're here, let me tell ya.
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00:11:45,706 --> 00:11:47,916
Okay, we're
about to break in.
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00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:51,670
And we're in the eye.
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00:11:51,753 --> 00:11:53,422
Oh my God!
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00:12:08,270 --> 00:12:10,189
Oh my fucking God.
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00:12:12,608 --> 00:12:14,943
This is so beautiful, holy shit.
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00:12:15,819 --> 00:12:18,322
It's just like you're in,
you're in these like…
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00:12:19,323 --> 00:12:22,201
You're in clouds, you're in white clouds,
and then suddenly you break through
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00:12:22,284 --> 00:12:25,496
and it's completely, like, clear,
you can see all the way down to the ocean,
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00:12:25,579 --> 00:12:26,747
it's beautiful!
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00:12:29,333 --> 00:12:32,711
A lot of us live on the
Gulf Coast or we have families that do,
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00:12:33,462 --> 00:12:38,425
what we do directly helps them
make the decisions that they need to make
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00:12:38,509 --> 00:12:40,344
as the storm moves into their area.
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00:12:40,427 --> 00:12:45,516
Like, you're literally flying into one of
the most powerful natural events on earth
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00:12:45,599 --> 00:12:47,809
and you're getting to see it in a way that
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00:12:47,893 --> 00:12:50,979
no one else on earth does, I mean, it's
203
00:12:51,063 --> 00:12:52,272
such a privilege to be up here.
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00:12:52,356 --> 00:12:54,441
What does it feel like to you
to do this, like every day?
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00:12:54,525 --> 00:12:59,029
It's a privilege to have this
job. Millions of people feel the effects
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00:12:59,112 --> 00:13:02,533
of what we do in improving
the forecast and it helps them to make
207
00:13:02,616 --> 00:13:06,078
safe and correct decisions
of what to do ahead of storms.
208
00:13:06,161 --> 00:13:08,455
-And so we're very lucky that
-Yeah.
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00:13:08,539 --> 00:13:13,043
the job makes it easy
for us to, uh, see what we do
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00:13:13,126 --> 00:13:15,003
and, and it benefits the public.
Yeah.
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00:13:15,087 --> 00:13:17,673
Well, Mark, it has been
such a privilege being up here.
212
00:13:17,756 --> 00:13:20,592
-Thank you so much for having us.
-Yeah. It's been great having you, Adam.
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00:13:20,676 --> 00:13:22,761
Incredible.
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00:13:24,429 --> 00:13:28,850
Okay, I'm a little nauseous. I'm very
happy to have my feet back on the ground.
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00:13:28,934 --> 00:13:31,061
Let's head to the
National Hurricane Center to see
216
00:13:31,144 --> 00:13:35,232
what the scientists there do
with the data that this plane collects.
217
00:13:35,315 --> 00:13:39,111
We're actually using the data
that is acquired from the aircraft
218
00:13:39,194 --> 00:13:43,490
to ascertain or… or seek
what is actually going on in the hurricane
219
00:13:43,574 --> 00:13:45,409
and then use that to make forecasts
220
00:13:45,492 --> 00:13:47,869
and more importantly communicate
that information to the public.
221
00:13:47,953 --> 00:13:52,332
Often, uh, our forecasts result
in the evacuations of sometimes
222
00:13:52,416 --> 00:13:54,251
a million or more people.
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00:13:54,334 --> 00:13:56,712
Have you ever
been a po-- in a position where
224
00:13:56,795 --> 00:13:58,630
you're looking at this and you're saying,
225
00:13:58,714 --> 00:14:01,925
I have to make a call
about how bad this is,
226
00:14:02,009 --> 00:14:04,928
and things are gonna
happen because of what I say.
227
00:14:05,012 --> 00:14:08,932
Yeah. Yeah, it happened, uh,
just this is past hurricane season, 2020.
228
00:14:09,016 --> 00:14:11,643
Our forecasters often have seconds,
229
00:14:11,727 --> 00:14:13,437
seconds to make a decision,
230
00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:16,356
generally based off
experience and gut instinct
231
00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,818
and uh, working with the
hurricane specialist at the time,
232
00:14:19,901 --> 00:14:23,488
that day, we determined that the storm
was just not going to weaken.
233
00:14:23,572 --> 00:14:27,242
It was gonna go right into
the coast completely, uh, unabated.
234
00:14:27,326 --> 00:14:31,580
That combined with the
vulnerability of this area, it's very low,
235
00:14:31,663 --> 00:14:35,584
a flat area and what we were hearing
from emergency managers at the time, that
236
00:14:35,667 --> 00:14:37,169
people weren't leaving,
237
00:14:37,252 --> 00:14:40,380
um, pushed us to do something
we'd never done before
238
00:14:40,464 --> 00:14:43,634
which was basically
put the term unsurvivable,
239
00:14:44,301 --> 00:14:45,302
uh, with it.
240
00:14:45,385 --> 00:14:49,222
Universally the media
snapped to that messaging.
241
00:14:49,306 --> 00:14:50,474
-Wow!
-Um…
242
00:14:50,557 --> 00:14:51,808
And that's all you heard that day,
243
00:14:51,892 --> 00:14:54,603
is unsurvivable,
is unsurvivable, is unsurvivable.
244
00:14:54,686 --> 00:14:58,815
Um, and, we have no storm
surge fatalities from this storm
245
00:14:58,899 --> 00:15:03,195
and a 100% evacuation
compliance in the hardest-hit area.
246
00:15:03,278 --> 00:15:07,032
Wow, that… that's remarkable.
247
00:15:07,115 --> 00:15:09,701
If just one of those
individuals would have stayed,
248
00:15:09,785 --> 00:15:12,120
-much less dozens would have stayed,
-Yeah.
249
00:15:12,204 --> 00:15:13,956
they would have most likely perished.
250
00:15:14,039 --> 00:15:17,668
Wow. This has been
an incredible experience
251
00:15:17,751 --> 00:15:20,170
to go up in
the goddamn plane, and then
252
00:15:20,253 --> 00:15:21,797
to find out about the work that you do.
253
00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:23,131
Jamie, thank you so much for your time.
254
00:15:23,215 --> 00:15:24,716
It was a pleasure, man.
255
00:15:32,349 --> 00:15:34,643
I am literally blown away.
256
00:15:34,726 --> 00:15:39,022
I mean all these courageous people
working together like clockwork,
257
00:15:39,106 --> 00:15:41,984
just to make sure that we
have the information we need
258
00:15:42,067 --> 00:15:44,027
to protect ourselves from hurricanes.
259
00:15:44,611 --> 00:15:45,988
It's jaw-dropping!
260
00:15:46,697 --> 00:15:49,700
But, one thing doesn't add up.
261
00:15:50,534 --> 00:15:55,205
If the government is so great at
protecting us before the hurricane hits,
262
00:15:55,288 --> 00:15:59,167
why is it so bad at helping us afterwards?
263
00:15:59,251 --> 00:16:02,212
That's right, I'm talking about FEMA.
264
00:16:02,295 --> 00:16:05,841
Not a name you normally hear
after the words "did a great job."
265
00:16:05,924 --> 00:16:10,095
Instead, it's become the four-letter
word of government agencies.
266
00:16:11,304 --> 00:16:14,433
When Hurricane Maria
hit Puerto Rico in 2017,
267
00:16:15,017 --> 00:16:18,270
FEMA didn't bring enough
personnel, bottled water
268
00:16:18,353 --> 00:16:20,981
or even electrical generators.
269
00:16:21,064 --> 00:16:25,027
It took 11 months for power
to be restored to the island,
270
00:16:25,110 --> 00:16:29,489
and as a result of these
failures, 4,500 people died.
271
00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:32,784
Most of them,
not because of the hurricane itself.
272
00:16:32,868 --> 00:16:36,705
They died because after the storm,
they didn't get the help they needed.
273
00:16:37,706 --> 00:16:41,668
And just to remind you,
Puerto Rico is part of America.
274
00:16:41,752 --> 00:16:44,463
This happened to Americans.
275
00:16:45,672 --> 00:16:50,886
If our government is able to fly
a plane through a goddamn hurricane,
276
00:16:50,969 --> 00:16:55,265
why on earth can't it bring bottled water
277
00:16:55,348 --> 00:16:57,768
to it's own citizens?
278
00:17:03,565 --> 00:17:08,153
Now, it's easy enough just to say
FEMA sucks and call it a day.
279
00:17:08,236 --> 00:17:10,572
I wouldn't even blame
you, it's really satisfying.
280
00:17:10,655 --> 00:17:15,368
But don't you want to
know why it sucks? I do.
281
00:17:15,452 --> 00:17:19,539
And in trying to answer that question,
what we found is that, more than anything,
282
00:17:19,623 --> 00:17:22,459
what determines whether or not
a government agency succeeds
283
00:17:22,542 --> 00:17:25,712
is its structure and FEMA structure is,
284
00:17:25,796 --> 00:17:30,258
and always has been,
a perfect storm of fucked up.
285
00:17:30,342 --> 00:17:32,803
Before the late 70s,
federal disaster relief
286
00:17:32,886 --> 00:17:35,263
was handled by a whole
mess of different agencies
287
00:17:35,347 --> 00:17:37,265
that could barely work together.
288
00:17:38,391 --> 00:17:40,060
Huh? Hey!
289
00:17:40,143 --> 00:17:41,144
-Ah!
290
00:17:41,228 --> 00:17:42,395
Wise guy, huh?
291
00:17:43,814 --> 00:17:47,109
But, instead of establishing
a powerful new agency from scratch,
292
00:17:47,192 --> 00:17:50,946
the executive order that created
FEMA just smushed them all together.
293
00:17:51,029 --> 00:17:52,405
Shut up everyone!
294
00:17:53,698 --> 00:17:55,450
You're all FEMA now.
295
00:17:56,576 --> 00:18:00,664
And your job is to plan for all
disasters for all Americans everywhere,
296
00:18:00,747 --> 00:18:03,250
so… what are we working on first?
297
00:18:09,005 --> 00:18:10,006
Good luck!
298
00:18:13,385 --> 00:18:16,805
With clashing priorities
and no clear agenda,
299
00:18:16,888 --> 00:18:19,599
FEMA struggled to become a cohesive agency
300
00:18:19,683 --> 00:18:24,271
and its problems were compounded by
the government's arch-nemesis: red tape.
301
00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:30,485
FEMA is so hogtied by bureaucratic rules,
302
00:18:30,569 --> 00:18:34,239
they famously couldn't even
deliver aid after Hurricane Andrew
303
00:18:34,322 --> 00:18:36,324
until the proper paperwork was filled out.
304
00:18:38,410 --> 00:18:39,786
You're drowning?
305
00:18:39,870 --> 00:18:44,457
Okay, I just need you to fax me
a water hazards assistance request form.
306
00:18:46,376 --> 00:18:49,045
I can hear you
but I don't make the rules ma'am.
307
00:18:49,796 --> 00:18:54,259
In fact, according to a federal law,
our Emergency Management Agency
308
00:18:54,342 --> 00:18:58,722
can't even declare an emergency
without asking permission.
309
00:18:58,805 --> 00:19:01,474
That means that instead
of being able to call the shots,
310
00:19:01,558 --> 00:19:05,270
FEMA is forced to juggle the demands
of Presidents, Governors and Congress.
311
00:19:05,353 --> 00:19:08,273
-Yes, Governor, I… I'm on it.
312
00:19:09,149 --> 00:19:11,443
Ye… yes sir, yes sir, right away.
313
00:19:11,526 --> 00:19:14,154
Is there any chance I can get a little
more money to help Puerto Ri--
314
00:19:14,237 --> 00:19:16,698
Are you stupid,
we don't have any money!
315
00:19:16,781 --> 00:19:21,203
FEMA has so little power,
it's especially vulnerable to politics,
316
00:19:21,286 --> 00:19:24,664
which means who gets aid
depends on who you know.
317
00:19:24,748 --> 00:19:26,958
Whoa whoa whoa whoa, hold up there pal.
318
00:19:27,042 --> 00:19:30,045
You got a senator or congressperson
on FEMA's oversight committee?
319
00:19:31,213 --> 00:19:32,672
Sucks for you.
320
00:19:33,673 --> 00:19:36,092
If you did, historically
FEMA would hook you up
321
00:19:36,176 --> 00:19:40,096
with an extra 36.5 million
dollars of assistance on average.
322
00:19:40,889 --> 00:19:45,393
Plus bottle service. Water bottle service.
323
00:19:46,645 --> 00:19:48,855
Once you follow
the political undercurrents,
324
00:19:48,939 --> 00:19:52,442
you start to see why Texas,
a state with two powerful senators,
325
00:19:52,525 --> 00:19:56,071
received massive assistance
from FEMA after Hurricane Harvey.
326
00:19:56,154 --> 00:20:00,742
The same year that Puerto Rico,
which has no representation in Congress
327
00:20:00,825 --> 00:20:05,247
or the presidential election,
in comparison, was left out in the cold.
328
00:20:06,998 --> 00:20:10,835
Call me crazy, I don't think FEMA
assistance should depend on your zipcode.
329
00:20:10,919 --> 00:20:12,754
It should be a public service.
330
00:20:13,463 --> 00:20:16,299
Nah! This is an exclusive club.
331
00:20:17,133 --> 00:20:20,220
Which might explain why counties
with a significant Black, Hispanic,
332
00:20:20,303 --> 00:20:24,057
or Native American population
often receive less money from FEMA
333
00:20:24,140 --> 00:20:27,811
than white counties. Yo, Connecticut!
334
00:20:27,894 --> 00:20:31,898
I'll see you at golf. Let C-Dog through!
335
00:20:32,691 --> 00:20:36,403
And worst of all,
chronic underfunding has prevented FEMA
336
00:20:36,486 --> 00:20:41,366
from planning for natural disasters
that FEMA employees knew were coming.
337
00:20:42,784 --> 00:20:47,122
Hurricane season is every
year people, let's be ready.
338
00:20:47,205 --> 00:20:50,458
In 2004, just a year before Katrina,
339
00:20:50,542 --> 00:20:53,753
FEMA ran a simulation called Hurricane Pam
340
00:20:53,837 --> 00:20:57,382
in which a hypothetical
hurricane hit New Orleans.
341
00:20:57,465 --> 00:21:02,387
Okay, so, what would
happen if… the levees break?
342
00:21:08,268 --> 00:21:09,436
Oh-oh.
343
00:21:10,103 --> 00:21:13,315
Ma'am, our exercises show that if
a hurricane were to hit New Orleans,
344
00:21:13,398 --> 00:21:18,320
we'd be very ill-equipped
to handle it. We need a new plan now.
345
00:21:20,780 --> 00:21:24,576
Whoa! We are way too underfunded and
346
00:21:24,659 --> 00:21:27,746
understaffed to
implement any of these reforms.
347
00:21:27,829 --> 00:21:30,749
We can't afford to waste
money on hypothetical hurricanes
348
00:21:30,832 --> 00:21:33,418
when there are WMD's in Iraq to find.
349
00:21:37,005 --> 00:21:38,840
I mean, what the fuck?
350
00:21:39,466 --> 00:21:41,885
How many lives could have been saved
351
00:21:41,968 --> 00:21:44,804
if FEMA had had the resources they needed?
352
00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:47,849
And, even today, as climate change
353
00:21:47,932 --> 00:21:51,394
makes every hurricane season
more destructive than the last,
354
00:21:51,478 --> 00:21:55,398
FEMA has faced budget
shortfalls and staffing shortages
355
00:21:55,482 --> 00:21:57,942
further weakening an already weak agency.
356
00:22:05,116 --> 00:22:07,410
It's infuriating, isn't it?
357
00:22:08,203 --> 00:22:10,080
And all the more so because
358
00:22:10,163 --> 00:22:13,124
I don't know what
personally I can do about it.
359
00:22:13,750 --> 00:22:17,921
Fixing big structural problems
like these is incredibly hard.
360
00:22:18,004 --> 00:22:20,965
It's gonna take
org. charts and budgets and
361
00:22:21,049 --> 00:22:24,302
endless congressional hearings
where some old dude takes 30 seconds
362
00:22:24,386 --> 00:22:27,180
between questions to
sip water from a tiny bottle and…
363
00:22:28,473 --> 00:22:31,184
Oh God, I am bored just looking at you.
364
00:22:32,227 --> 00:22:35,647
But you know,
maybe there is a silver lining.
365
00:22:37,232 --> 00:22:38,483
Hello? Graphics?
366
00:22:40,068 --> 00:22:41,945
Thank you.
Get your head out of the clouds.
367
00:22:43,279 --> 00:22:45,073
Okay, you're on thin ice!
368
00:22:47,617 --> 00:22:51,788
Even as we're pushing for these
desperately needed structural reforms,
369
00:22:51,871 --> 00:22:55,667
we don't have to just sit around
and watch the flood waters rise.
370
00:22:55,750 --> 00:22:59,087
Like every part of the government,
protecting each other from the weather
371
00:22:59,170 --> 00:23:03,508
is a collective project that each
of us can show up and contribute to.
372
00:23:03,591 --> 00:23:05,426
Old righty's barking!
373
00:23:06,094 --> 00:23:09,472
I feel an inspiring
real-life example blowing in.
374
00:23:09,556 --> 00:23:11,766
-Yeah, I think you might be right.
375
00:23:18,273 --> 00:23:20,608
-Hi. Hey, nice to meet you.
-Michael Brulo, nice to meet you.
376
00:23:20,692 --> 00:23:21,776
Thank you for having me.
377
00:23:21,860 --> 00:23:22,861
Let's go, we got rain.
378
00:23:22,944 --> 00:23:24,612
So, what is Skywarn?
379
00:23:24,696 --> 00:23:27,532
Skywarn is a group of volunteer,
380
00:23:27,615 --> 00:23:29,617
uh, observers with
the National Weather Service.
381
00:23:29,701 --> 00:23:34,164
We are unpaid, we just observe the, uh,
severe weather and report to them
382
00:23:34,247 --> 00:23:36,749
either by telephone or by amateur radio.
383
00:23:36,833 --> 00:23:37,709
But why does the weather
384
00:23:37,792 --> 00:23:40,753
service need hundreds of thousands
of volunteers across the country?
385
00:23:40,837 --> 00:23:43,923
Why do they need you to
drive around with a radio in your car?
386
00:23:44,007 --> 00:23:47,427
Yeah, so there's just one element
missing and that's the eyes on the ground.
387
00:23:47,510 --> 00:23:50,513
They need ground truth.
They have tools like radar and
388
00:23:50,597 --> 00:23:52,140
weather stations and all that,
389
00:23:52,223 --> 00:23:54,809
but when you're out here
in southern Pennsylvania,
390
00:23:54,893 --> 00:23:58,563
um, a lot of times the radar can't
see what we're seeing on the ground.
391
00:23:58,646 --> 00:24:00,148
And most of the severe weather occurs
392
00:24:00,231 --> 00:24:02,192
in the first couple
thousand feet of the atmosphere.
393
00:24:02,275 --> 00:24:06,196
Wow. So if they're
relying so much on volunteers,
394
00:24:06,279 --> 00:24:09,365
and hey you're a… you're a weather nut,
you're, you're a weather nerd,
395
00:24:09,449 --> 00:24:10,825
-What term do you like?
-So,
396
00:24:10,909 --> 00:24:13,077
the official term is Weather Weenie.
397
00:24:14,537 --> 00:24:17,457
-I don't really say it.
-It's a little derogatory for yourself.
398
00:24:17,540 --> 00:24:19,209
I just call myself
you know, a weather observer,
399
00:24:19,292 --> 00:24:20,668
enthusiast, whatever you wanna call it.
400
00:24:20,752 --> 00:24:24,297
So you're getting in
this area hail, tornados,
401
00:24:24,380 --> 00:24:26,007
sometimes hurricanes,
402
00:24:26,090 --> 00:24:27,342
-flooding, is-- There's a lot of flooding?
-Flooding.
403
00:24:27,425 --> 00:24:29,302
We get flash flooding,
we get river flooding,
404
00:24:29,385 --> 00:24:30,929
we get every kind of flooding you can get.
405
00:24:31,012 --> 00:24:34,390
Only about a foot of water's
needed to wash your car off the road.
406
00:24:34,474 --> 00:24:37,143
And that's not something that, like,
the National Weather Service can see.
407
00:24:37,227 --> 00:24:38,686
Exactly, the Skywarn community
408
00:24:38,770 --> 00:24:41,314
gives them the really time
sensitive information they need to
409
00:24:41,397 --> 00:24:42,565
issue flash flood warnings.
410
00:24:42,649 --> 00:24:43,816
Got it.
411
00:24:43,900 --> 00:24:45,902
So we're in
an area of Lancaster County, got
412
00:24:45,985 --> 00:24:48,279
hit really hard by some
thunderstorms two days ago.
413
00:24:48,363 --> 00:24:51,532
I was observing a
non-severe storm turned severe
414
00:24:51,616 --> 00:24:54,494
and it wasn't even two minutes later that
the alert came through for the warning.
415
00:24:54,577 --> 00:24:57,330
Wow! So hold on, so you report,
416
00:24:57,413 --> 00:24:59,749
two minutes later
they alert everyone in the area,
417
00:24:59,832 --> 00:25:01,668
this is now a severe storm so watch out.
418
00:25:01,751 --> 00:25:03,670
-Exactly.
-That is so cool.
419
00:25:03,753 --> 00:25:05,588
It's-- Seconds count
when it comes to severe weather.
420
00:25:05,672 --> 00:25:07,090
By the time it looks severe on radar,
421
00:25:07,173 --> 00:25:09,467
it may have already been causing
damage and indeed it was, there were
422
00:25:09,550 --> 00:25:13,304
trees down and that's when
they flipped the switch and said,
423
00:25:13,388 --> 00:25:14,931
okay, it's a severe storm,
let's warn people.
424
00:25:15,014 --> 00:25:17,225
The Weather Service
really does provide great warnings
425
00:25:17,308 --> 00:25:20,561
and, uh, the reports we
give help them issue these warnings.
426
00:25:20,645 --> 00:25:22,188
Can we see what it's like
when you give a report?
427
00:25:22,272 --> 00:25:24,732
So we'll talk
to net control and let them
428
00:25:24,816 --> 00:25:26,067
know what we're seeing down here.
429
00:25:26,150 --> 00:25:27,235
Cool.
430
00:25:27,318 --> 00:25:30,196
W3DLB,
this is W3MSB calling.
431
00:25:30,947 --> 00:25:34,534
W3MSB, W3DLB go ahead Mike.
432
00:25:34,617 --> 00:25:38,579
Hey, good evening, Dave. We're down
here at Long's Park in Lancaster County
433
00:25:38,663 --> 00:25:42,667
and we are seeing over 50 mature trees
434
00:25:42,750 --> 00:25:44,544
either uprooted or snapped.
435
00:25:44,627 --> 00:25:47,547
-And tell him it's raining. It's raining!
436
00:25:47,630 --> 00:25:50,508
-It is. And it's raining right now.
-Yeah.
437
00:25:50,591 --> 00:25:53,803
I will run that up
to National Weather Service via chat.
438
00:25:53,886 --> 00:25:57,849
W3MSB this is W3DLB Net Control.
439
00:25:57,932 --> 00:25:59,851
Thanks for the report,
have a good day. W3MSB.
440
00:25:59,934 --> 00:26:00,893
I contributed!
441
00:26:00,977 --> 00:26:04,397
Yes you did. Reports like these are
made every day during severe weather.
442
00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:08,443
What does it feel like to, like,
be protecting your community so directly?
443
00:26:08,526 --> 00:26:11,321
It's not like you're a firefighter or
something, you're just a guy in a Subaru.
444
00:26:11,404 --> 00:26:13,364
Right. A guy in a Subaru,
yeah. It, it's a good feeling.
445
00:26:13,448 --> 00:26:15,992
I enjoy doing this and I enjoy helping…
446
00:26:16,075 --> 00:26:17,452
I enjoy helping the
community out you know…
447
00:26:18,077 --> 00:26:22,081
I love the weather and to be able to
not only look at the weather for myself
448
00:26:22,165 --> 00:26:25,460
but use what I'm seeing to help the
Weather Service protect life and property
449
00:26:25,543 --> 00:26:27,128
-it's a great feeling.
-Wow.
450
00:26:27,837 --> 00:26:29,881
Hey, would you give
me a ride back to LA ?
451
00:26:29,964 --> 00:26:31,299
Absolutely, let's go.
452
00:26:38,556 --> 00:26:40,183
Thanks for the ride, Michael.
453
00:26:42,769 --> 00:26:45,146
You know what I love about the weather?
454
00:26:45,730 --> 00:26:47,315
It unites us.
455
00:26:47,398 --> 00:26:51,319
When a storm rolls in, everyone
in town is thinking the same thing.
456
00:26:51,402 --> 00:26:54,864
Oh, first, I gotta buy milk
and toilet paper immediately!
457
00:26:54,947 --> 00:26:57,575
But then, I gotta go
check on my neighbors.
458
00:26:58,326 --> 00:27:01,621
When we work together like that,
when we take collective action
459
00:27:01,704 --> 00:27:03,206
for the common good,
460
00:27:03,289 --> 00:27:05,750
there's no limit to what we can do.
461
00:27:06,459 --> 00:27:09,629
And giving us a way to do that,
giving us a way to come together
462
00:27:09,712 --> 00:27:13,466
and protect each other
in the face of life's greatest disasters,
463
00:27:13,549 --> 00:27:16,386
on its best days,
that's what a government is.
464
00:27:16,469 --> 00:27:20,431
-Even if it doesn't always live up to it.
465
00:27:20,515 --> 00:27:24,018
Banks got bailed out!
We got sold out!
466
00:27:24,102 --> 00:27:27,271
Banks got bailed out! We got sold out!