The government shutdown might be responsible for losing more than jobs.
In central Idaho, a 63-year-old hiker went missing the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve after the U.S. National Parks Service was forced to send home its 16 staff employees on furlough. With the assistance of family and locals, staff members at the site are continuing their search for Jo Elliott-Blakeslee, but now that the government has scaled back personnel in rescue agencies and park staff, the search is far more difficult. Some say chances are now slim to none.
“It’s pretty much just park staff that are continuing the search,” Craters staff member Ted Stout told KBOI News. “But we’re also faced with the government shutdown … we’ve been busy with that.”
Federal law, meanwhile, forbids government workers on furlough to even volunteer for their jobs — even in moments of crisis such as the search for Elliot-Blakeslee. Fucked up, right?
Family members of the 63-year-old have expressed gratitude to the park staff for any efforts within their power, but they worry about the physical conditions of the terrain — especially at night. The family’s statement, via the Idaho Statesman:
We realize the chance of Dr. Jo surviving in temperatures that have dipped below freezing are slim. However, we are not ruling out the outside chance that she has found shelter in a cave or under vegetation. Either way, we are committed to bringing her home and are actively recruiting volunteers with backcountry experience to keep the search going.
h/t @SamSteinHP/image via Fish and Game Idaho