WEBVTT 00:01.900 --> 00:03.933 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: Twenty-five days and counting into the federal government shutdown, the 00:03.933 --> 00:06.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% impact is being felt far and wide. 00:06.633 --> 00:11.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% In Florida, John Yang found the ripple effects reaching the swamps of the Everglades, the 00:13.066 --> 00:15.733 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% tourist-packed airports and even future weather forecasts. 00:15.733 --> 00:19.666 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% GARL HARROLD, Nature Guide, Garl's Coastal Kayaking: You guys are OK to get a little 00:19.666 --> 00:21.700 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% wet? 00:21.700 --> 00:25.666 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: For 17 years, nature guide Garl Harrold has been making a living leading tours 00:26.800 --> 00:28.800 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% through Everglades National Park. 00:28.800 --> 00:30.700 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% GARL HARROLD: If you look on the trees, you can actually see the waterline. 00:30.700 --> 00:33.333 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And, pretty soon, it will be completely dried up. 00:33.333 --> 00:38.000 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% JOHN YANG: Taking people from around the world, like this couple from Germany, slogging through 00:38.000 --> 00:42.966 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% cypress swamps for up-close encounters with alligators, snakes, and an array of other 00:45.233 --> 00:46.633 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% wildlife. 00:46.633 --> 00:48.400 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% GARL HARROLD: We got red-shouldered hawks up here. 00:48.400 --> 00:50.400 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% There's actually a nest up around the corner. 00:50.400 --> 00:54.866 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: But the government shutdown is taking a big bite out of his business. 00:54.866 --> 00:56.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% GARL HARROLD: It's really slowing down. 00:56.300 --> 00:57.300 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% JOHN YANG: How slow? 00:57.300 --> 00:59.866 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% GARL HARROLD: Pretty slow. 00:59.866 --> 01:03.300 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% Our numbers are down, and we're getting cancellations from especially in Europe and abroad, because 01:05.566 --> 01:07.666 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% they don't want to come here. 01:07.666 --> 01:11.666 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: While the gates are open, there's no one to collect entry fees, and some apparently 01:11.666 --> 01:13.733 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% believe the park is closed. 01:13.733 --> 01:18.466 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% As a result, business is drying up for Harrold and other guides. 01:18.466 --> 01:20.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% How squeezed are you right now financially? 01:20.433 --> 01:22.900 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% GARL HARROLD: Pretty tight. 01:22.900 --> 01:25.000 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% Very tight. 01:25.000 --> 01:27.933 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Actually, I have gone through most of my savings to just make my mortgage and the car payments 01:27.933 --> 01:30.000 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% and insurance. 01:30.000 --> 01:33.800 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: It would likely be even worse if it weren't for people like Peter Campbell. 01:33.800 --> 01:38.800 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% He does the daily chores that National Park Service workers did before the shutdown, staffing 01:42.166 --> 01:47.133 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% the main visitor center's information desk, taking out the trash, even cleaning the men's 01:49.033 --> 01:51.500 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% room. 01:51.500 --> 01:52.766 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% PETER CAMPBELL, Florida National Parks Association: Being a former school principal, it's not 01:52.766 --> 01:55.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% unusual to have to clean restrooms. 01:55.266 --> 01:58.166 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% JOHN YANG: Campbell's work is being funded by the nonprofit Florida National Parks Association. 02:00.866 --> 02:02.633 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Jim Sutton runs the group. 02:02.633 --> 02:06.000 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% He says it's literally paying to keep the lights on. 02:06.000 --> 02:07.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% So, you're paying for the electricity. 02:07.466 --> 02:08.700 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% JIM SUTTON, Florida National Parks Association: Yes. 02:08.700 --> 02:09.866 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% JOHN YANG: Who's paying for the toilet paper? 02:09.866 --> 02:11.066 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% JIM SUTTON: I am. 02:11.066 --> 02:11.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% JOHN YANG: Who's paying for the soap? 02:11.900 --> 02:13.933 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% JIM SUTTON: I am. 02:13.933 --> 02:17.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: Some of the money comes from the park's gift shops, where business has also 02:17.100 --> 02:19.100 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% dropped during the shutdown. 02:19.100 --> 02:24.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Spending more to maintain the park now could mean tough decisions in the future. 02:25.233 --> 02:27.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% But Sutton doesn't see any other choice. 02:27.233 --> 02:31.666 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JIM SUTTON: My logic is, it's much easier to maintain it now than it is to catch up 02:31.666 --> 02:33.866 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% later, whenever the government does reopen. 02:33.866 --> 02:38.866 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: This couldn't come at a worse time for the Everglades and the businesses around 02:38.866 --> 02:40.966 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% it that rely on tourists. 02:40.966 --> 02:42.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% This is when they make their money. 02:42.933 --> 02:47.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And once it's lost, it's lost forever. 02:49.766 --> 02:53.366 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% For Garl Harrold, it's the second bad season in a row. 02:53.366 --> 02:58.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Last winter, the park was recovering from Category 5 Hurricane Irma. 02:58.100 --> 03:01.500 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Of what you make in a year, how much do you make in this period? 03:01.500 --> 03:02.966 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% GARL HARROLD: Most of it. 03:02.966 --> 03:05.800 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% JOHN YANG: So if you lose business now? 03:05.800 --> 03:08.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% GARL HARROLD: Then it's hard to catch back up. 03:08.200 --> 03:09.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And we're already suffering from Irma. 03:09.600 --> 03:11.466 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% JOHN YANG: How worried are you? 03:11.466 --> 03:14.433 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% GARL HARROLD: Pretty worried. 03:14.433 --> 03:18.666 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% JOHN YANG: Worry is something Cassandra Blackmon knows well. 03:18.666 --> 03:23.666 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% She's a TSA officer at the Fort Lauderdale Airport, a single mom who's not getting a 03:24.466 --> 03:26.500 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% paycheck. 03:26.500 --> 03:27.433 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% CASSANDRA BLACKMON, Transportation Security Administration: I have a 15-year-old and a 03:27.433 --> 03:29.500 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% 10-year-old. 03:29.500 --> 03:32.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And it's hard to explain to them that I'm not getting a paycheck, because they see you 03:32.633 --> 03:34.633 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% go to work. 03:34.633 --> 03:38.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: Nationwide, 51,000 TSA agents are on the job without pay during the shutdown. 03:40.700 --> 03:45.466 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Miami International Airport is one of several where officers are calling out sick, so many 03:46.866 --> 03:49.900 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% that, this past weekend, one concourse closed early. 03:49.900 --> 03:54.900 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% Blackmon says morale is so low that some of her TSA colleagues may quit. 03:56.833 --> 04:00.133 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% If President Trump or members of Congress were here, what would you say to them? 04:01.933 --> 04:03.166 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% (LAUGHTER) 04:03.166 --> 04:04.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% CASSANDRA BLACKMON: What do I say to them? 04:04.600 --> 04:07.466 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% You know, I don't even think I can say that on TV. 04:07.466 --> 04:09.066 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% It's disgusting. 04:09.066 --> 04:11.066 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% It's very immature. 04:11.066 --> 04:14.700 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% It's like, I'm not getting what I want, so I'm going to whine about it and make the poor 04:14.700 --> 04:16.933 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% people suffer more. 04:16.933 --> 04:21.933 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: Eric Blake's family is down to one paycheck, his wife, Suzana (ph). 04:26.000 --> 04:31.000 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% He's a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, working without pay. 04:32.833 --> 04:35.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% If he misses another paycheck, their financial forecast is bleak. 04:35.100 --> 04:38.433 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% ERIC BLAKE, National Hurricane Center: Right now, I'm staring at a host of Christmas bills, 04:38.433 --> 04:40.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% not really knowing how I'm going to pay them. 04:40.233 --> 04:43.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I have paid the minimum on all my credit cards. 04:43.666 --> 04:47.633 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% I have cut all of the nonessential -- nonessential purchases. 04:47.633 --> 04:52.633 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% JOHN YANG: Blake's work is considered essential, but nearly 200 scientists who would be preparing 04:53.833 --> 04:55.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% for the next hurricane season are furloughed. 04:55.900 --> 05:00.466 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% ERIC BLAKE: Every year, we really focus our efforts on making better hurricane forecasts, 05:01.200 --> 05:02.133 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% intensity and track. 05:02.133 --> 05:03.366 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% We really pride ourselves on it. 05:03.366 --> 05:05.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And right now, we're just unable to do it. 05:05.333 --> 05:07.800 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% We have a list of dozens of things we're trying to do. 05:07.800 --> 05:09.866 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Right now, we're not going to doing any of them. 05:09.866 --> 05:14.066 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: And the center has had to cancel the first of three training classes for emergency 05:14.066 --> 05:16.366 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% managers from hurricane-prone areas. 05:16.366 --> 05:18.433 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% The other two are in doubt. 05:18.433 --> 05:23.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Is it too much of a stretch to say that not working on the models now could cost lives 05:24.566 --> 05:26.033 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% in the coming hurricane season? 05:26.033 --> 05:28.566 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% ERIC BLAKE: It's not really that much of a stretch. 05:28.566 --> 05:33.200 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% If I were moving to Florida, and I would want my emergency manager to have the best possible 05:34.333 --> 05:37.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% information to make their decision. 05:37.066 --> 05:42.066 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And without the training and outreach that the Hurricane Center does with FEMA, it just 05:42.966 --> 05:45.366 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% isn't possible. 05:45.366 --> 05:48.966 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% JOHN YANG: While Blake worries about the hurricane season ahead, Cassandra Blackmon, the TSA 05:50.166 --> 05:53.400 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% officer, is just trying to weather the shutdown. 05:53.400 --> 05:55.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% CASSANDRA BLACKMON: It's ridiculous. 05:55.433 --> 05:59.400 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% It's not fair to the middle class and the poor people, because a lot of federal employees 06:00.600 --> 06:02.000 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% are middle class. 06:02.000 --> 06:03.333 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% You don't qualify for anything. 06:03.333 --> 06:05.833 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% You make too much or you don't make enough. 06:05.833 --> 06:07.633 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% So we're stuck in the middle. 06:07.633 --> 06:11.066 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And to not receive a paycheck is like -- it's really devastating. 06:11.066 --> 06:16.066 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: And nature guide Garl Harrold is slogging through, one step at a time. 06:18.100 --> 06:21.166 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% GARL HARROLD: Just keep in mind, if it wasn't for the volunteers that are keeping the bathrooms 06:21.166 --> 06:25.066 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% clean and doing the stuff they're doing, we wouldn't have been able to do this. 06:25.066 --> 06:30.066 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: As he and others search for ways to survive the government shutdown. 06:31.933 --> 06:34.300 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm John Yang in Everglades National Park.