“Lilli de Jong” and Hurricane prediction and preparation

Guests: Janet Benton, David Titley

Local writer JANET BENTON’s debut novel, Lilli de Jong, is about an unwed Quaker woman in Philadelphia in 1883 who is thrown out of her family and community when she becomes pregnant.  Lilli ends up at a lying-in hospital for unwed mothers and is expected to give up her child for adoption.  Benton based her story on years of research into the lives of single mothers and their children in 19^th century Philadelphia. She comes into the studio to talk with Marty about her novel, motherhood, and the difficult choices unwed mothers had to make to survive.  Then, NOAA has predicted an “above average” hurricane season in the Atlantic this year.  But while the ocean warms up, President Trump has proposed budget cuts to both NOAA, the agency in charge of weather forecasting, and FEMA, which is responsible for disaster relief.  Both agencies are also without their top administrator.  Marty talks with Penn State professor of meteorology and retired Rear Admiral DAVID TITLEY about hurricane predictions, the state of our agencies and our preparedness for storms and emergencies.