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US Geological Survey Unable To Provide Indonesia Tsunami Data Due To Government Shutdown (huffingtonpost.com.au)

An underwater landslide caused by activity from the Anak Krakatau volcano is being blamed for a tsunami that struck Indonesia late Saturday, killing at least 222 people and injuring more than 800 others. Normally, the U.S. Geological Survey would report on such events and provide any necessary data it had to the public. But it can't due to America's partial government shutdown, which began Saturday after President Donald Trump refused to sign legislation that didn't include funding for his southern border wall. From a report: The USGS website is dormant as of Sunday, except for a notice at the top. "Due to a lapse in appropriations, the majority of USGS websites may not be up to date and may not reflect current conditions," the note reads. "Websites displaying real-time data, such as Earthquake and Water and information needed for public health and safety will be updated with limited support." According to the government shutdown contingency plan, the USGS will retain just 75 of its estimated 8,032 employees, or 0.9 percent. "The USGS will suspend the majority of its activities with the exception of those functions to protect life and property," the plan states. The document also claims that 450 employees will be "on call" for natural disasters, but it's unclear if that process has been enacted, as the USGS website says the agency is not "able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted."

13 of 370 comments (clear)

  1. Far right tantrum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's a shame that this far right tantrum us wasting money and will keep government employees from being paid on time. Furloughed workers will get back pay for them not to work during the shutdown. The shutdown will probably extend into January, and employees who are working will have their paycheck delayed. Meanwhile, many very useful but non-essential services aren't being provided at all. Shame on the far right.

    1. Re: Far right tantrum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I am confused how this is a far right tantrum... The proposed amount is less then 0.1% of the annual budget, less then the amount the feds provided to the California high speed rail that's over budget and may be discontinued by the state, and not even half the amount contributed to Boston's big dig... Yet a large portion of the us attended rallies and were energized around strong border security....

      If your worried about the cost & I am then perhaps we should compare it to the 10s to hundreds of billions we spend per year on undocumented immigrants. (Cost highly debated but even most liberal outlets seem to acknowledge 10s)... These numbers do not include things like increased car insurance due to uninsured motorist. My mom was hit by undocumented uninsured motorist 3x in 1 year...

      Then we can go to the actual article... First, USGS warning system is considered essential and running. The other data is not essential and I have no idea how that would help clean up. If it is helpful then perhaps countries like Indonesia could help fund the resources they are using...

      I for one am proud Trump stuck to his guns and it doesn't matter if it's about the wall but rather that he is willing to fight for what he promised. If more positions took real positions and fought for them the US would be better off...

      Now if only our votors and news didn't have the attenions span of 140 characters

  2. Trump for prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Lock him up

  3. Re:Trump would gladly sign legislation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    If Democrats wanted a wall along the Southern border, they would have built one. They aren't weak and ineffectual like Trump and the Republicans.

  4. Re:Schumer Shutdown 2.0 by meglon · · Score: 1, Insightful

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    It's amazing that you're an even more worthless piece of shit than Trump is. I honestly didn't think there were that many around, given that it's so low of a bar.

    --
    Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
  5. I thought the Mexicans were going to pay for it. by The+Evil+Atheist · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Why aren't the Trump-loving libertarians opposing this on the fact that it will be the US taxpayer paying for the wall when their dear leader promised them the Mexicans would pay for it?

    Could it be libertarians are just a bunch of hypocritical cunts?

    --
    Those who do not learn from commit history are doomed to regress it.
  6. Re: Embrace the healing power of AND by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 2, Insightful

    WHY would you fund something that from the cost/benefit perspective surely must be one of the dumbest ideas any US government has ever had?

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  7. Re:Embrace the healing power of AND by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Hey guess what? If it were not for Trump the government would still be fully up (only.a tiny part is really shut down) - at the same time it is ALSO true that if even ten Democrats agreed to fund the wall, the government would be fully up as well.

    Fund the wall? The same wall that he promised that the Mexicans would pay for? That wouldn't cost taxpayers anything? What a nice way to keep your campaign promises. But then again, he has never been much for keeping any kinds of promises has he?

    Why would any sane human being (Democrats, Republicans or whatever) agree to fund one mans lunatic vanity project? Show me a 20-foot wall and I will show you a 21-foot ladder. That wall is not going to help very much, other than be a huge waste of taxpayer money and pocket lining for opportunist (or worse, corrupt) construction companies.

  8. Re:Embrace the healing power of AND by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Speaking of the unstoppable juggernaut of government, aren't you a bit worried about it trying to piss away billions of your dollars on something known not to work? I mean China built a wall far bigger and better than the one Trump wants, and that wasn't very effective...

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  9. Not Quite Accurate... by kenwd0elq · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Or in other words, "Fake News"".

    "which began Saturday after President Donald Trump refused to sign legislation that didn't include funding for his southern border wall."

    President Trump cannot sign legislation that hasn't been approved by both houses of Congress, and the "McConnell/Schumer Shutdown" is the result of the SENATE's failure to pass the budget. Schumer is adamant that there will be no border wall, and McConnell is content to let Schemer continue to hold the budget hostage. Americans by and large WANT a border wall; that was Trump's biggest promise, and he was elected on that promise.

    However, the lack of USGS support isn't hampering Indonesia's efforts at all; it's merely the only thing anybody can think of to cite as the "catastrophic effects" of a partial shutdown of 25% of the US Federal government.

  10. Re:Trump would gladly sign legislation by WhiplashII · · Score: 1, Insightful

    In other words, "my guy good, your guy bad"

    Perhaps neither one is a good role model? Please for the love of god do not put up Hillary, (any) Obama, or Bernie in 2020! Find a fiscal conservative, social liberal, moderate in both areas and get Trump out of the white house for all our sakes!

    --
    while (sig==sig) sig=!sig;
  11. tsunami alerts by BankRobberMBA · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As I read this it seems like all they are missing from USGS is post incident reporting. I'm not saying that is unimportant, but there wasn't going to be any tsunami warning from USGS anyway. This was a non-tectonic landslide in a confined region. It's much like the September wave, I think: small, fast, and local.

    They actually HAVE a local warning system for exactly this type of event, but it has been poorly managed and funded.

  12. Re: Setting aside the unrelated stuff by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Indonesia is poor

    16th largest GDP on the planet. Member of G-20 with a larger budget than Greece and just completed a 36 billion dollar highway system across Java. Falsely stating they are poor is insult. No tsumani warning system is due to political issues(primarily allowing settlement in dangerous areas), not budgetary limitations.