Sequester and Flood Warning Gauges

The Associated Press reports that the public may not be warned of imminent flooding due to sequester cuts.

More than 100 crucial gauges that warn of imminent flooding or lack of needed water will be shut down starting next month as part of the federal government's automatic budget cuts.

Some are in the nine states threatened with spring flooding, U.S. Geological Survey officials said in interviews with The Associated Press.

In rivers where flooding is imminent, such as near Fargo, N.D., officials are scrambling to keep needed monitors working and make the cuts elsewhere. Details are still to be worked out, officials said.

Jerad Bales, the agency's chief scientist for water, said at least 120 gauges, and as many as 375 in a worst-case scenario, will be shut down because of the mandatory cuts known in Washington budget language as sequestration.

"It's a life and property issue. It's a safety issue," Bales said in a telephone interview.

Agency flood coordinator Robert Holmes said that without a full fleet of stream gauges, it is harder to warn people about flooding.

Senate Democrats have blinked on allowing the furlough of air traffic controllers, shifting funds.

I think they'll need to blink again.

We need a responsible budget that cuts wasteful spending, not these lame games - no Fleet Week, no Blue Angels, no Thunderbirds, no White House tours.