"The planes have been flying into Hurricane Melissa as part of monitoring the monster storm."
"The NOAA pilots and scientists flying aboard hurricane hunter aircraft into Hurricane Melissa’s 185-mile per hour winds are not being paid during the government shutdown, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed Tuesday.
“Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown and last week’s failed measure in the Senate to pay essential workers, no NOAA employees are being paid at this time,” NOAA spokesperson Kim Doster said in an emailed statement.
Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Jamaica as a Category 5 storm at roughly 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, according to NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. Melissa is expected to be the most powerful storm on record to pass through the Caribbean."
Daniel Cusick reports for E&E News October 28, 2025.
SEE ALSO:
"Volunteers Step In to Help Understaffed NOAA Track Hurricane Melissa" (New York Times)
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