The U.S. House and Senate have passed a bill that will increase funding for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service to improve the tools weather forecasters will have at their disposal to alert residents about dangerous conditions.
After a weekend of storms and tornado warnings throughout the Houston area, this is welcome news. “It has a Tornado Warning Improvement Program which is going to give Texans more warning lead time for severe weather,” says Taylor Jordan, a native Texan and a staffer with the congressional Environmental Subcommittee that authored the measure. “It also has a Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program which is going to allow us to better predict and forecast hurricanes if they are coming at Texas during hurricane season.” Florida Senator Marco Rubio, one of the bill’s sponsors, says “Americans along the East Coast have unfortunately seen first-hand how devastating hurricanes can be. Providing more accurate tracking and intensity forecasts will allow people to better prepare for the safety of their families, home and businesses.”
Taylor says the bill is about maintaining competitive footing. “Unfortunately other countries, including in Europe, are able to forecast our weather in America better than we can, and we see this as something that’s not acceptable and it’s our job to better protect American lives and property,” he tells KTRH News.