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Congressman Grayson Gets Bipartisan Backing for Proposal to Improve Hurricane Warnings  July 10th, 2013 | WMFE - Central Florida US Congressman Alan Grayson proposed amendments Tuesday to a weather forecasting improvement bill that would create a new hurricane research program. The amendments unanimously passed a House Science, Space and Technology Environment Subcommittee as Tropical Storm Chantal continued to wobble toward Florida, confounding forecasters along the way. Predictions about Chantal’s interaction with the Sunshine State have varied from a brief pass several hundred miles to the east to a direct hit to Central Florida. More recent tracks show Chantal dissolving into a tropical wave before it skirts up Florida’s coastline, but forecasters point out it’s too soon to be sure. Congressman Alan Grayson says it’s that uncertainty he’d like to see dissolve – that’s why he proposed teaming up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create a Hurricane Warning Precision Program. “NOAA will be required to identify a specific program of research that they will propose to conduct in order to make our warnings for hurricanes more precise," says Grayson. "They’ll explain what they’re going to do, how much it’s going to cost, come back to us, and I’m hoping that we’ll fund it." Grayson says more accurate severe weather warnings will reduce injuries, deaths and economic damage from hurricanes and tropical storms. The Weather Forecasting Improvement Act with Grayson’s amendments attached must pass one more committee before heading for a full US House vote. |
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