WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full committee hearing today on Weathering the Storm: The Need for a National Hurricane Initiative.

 

 

Dr. Kelvin K. Droegemeier, Co-Chairman, Task Force on Hurricane Science and Engineering, National Science Board

 

Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, Assistant Administrator, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

 

Dr. Gordon L. Wells, Program Manager, Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin

 

Ms. Leslie Chapman-Henderson, President and CEO, Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. (FLASH)

 

Mr. Franklin W. Nutter, President, Reinsurance Association of America

 

 

“As a nation, we depend on critical infrastructure and basic services everyday: We can talk to family and friends across the nation, drive on well-marked, safe roads, and rely on a robust public safety system to come to our aid in emergencies. But if we want to make sure that essential foundation is there when we need it most, we must continue to invest in cutting-edge technology and the latest research.”

“There’s no question more needs to be done to help us understand and prepare for hurricanes, especially if it can help us reduce the loss of life and property.”     

“Despite the excellent research funded by NSF, there are still many areas that need to be addressed. While advances have been made during the past decade in meteorological understanding and prediction, we still know relatively little about the most important aspects of hurricanes from an integrative perspective, including their internal dynamics and interactions with the larger-scale atmosphere and ocean; methods for quantifying and conveying uncertainty and mitigating hurricane impacts; associated short and long term consequences on the natural and built environment; and the manner in which society responds before, during and after landfall.”

“The key to success in improving hurricane prediction is leveraging the capabilities of all partners: federal, state, local, academic, and private sector. Communication between federal partners and the external community on operational needs and associated research focus areas is necessary to achieve both immediate successes and scientific research advances that hold promise for the future.”

“The greatest problem facing our coastal population is the failure of individuals to understand their personal risk to a natural disaster. Victims of events are often heard to comment that indeed they knew that the hurricane was going to be bad, perhaps as bad as or worse than one they had lived through, but they did not believe that the storm would be so bad in their part of town, in their neighborhood or in their home.”

“It is our belief that this country needs to embrace a high?quality system of research?informed, engineering?based building codes and mitigation programs to ensure optimal construction practices and windstorm damage prevention that benefit all citizens. Research can improve and sustain model building codes and mitigation programs in a manner that enhances our built and natural environment. When that happens, we will prevent deaths, reduce injuries and avoid needless economic ruin for families and communities from disasters of all kinds.”

“In addition to increased funding for hurricane research and improved forecasting, Congress should help people living in hurricane-prone coastal areas take proactive mitigation and adaptation steps to protect their property, rather than encourage unwise development in these high-risk, environmentally-sensitive locales. The research arising from new Congressional funding will assist in the assessment of planning aimed at mitigation and adaptation.”

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