|
Weathering the Storm: The Need for a National Hurricane Initiative 28 Jul 2009
As hurricane season approaches, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Science and Space felt it prudent to hold a hearing entitled “Weathering the Storm: The Need for a National Hurricane Initiative” on 28 July, 2009. Senators Martinez (R-FL) and Nelson (D-FL) have introduced legislation (S. 1485) to create a national hurricane research project that is similar to the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP).
Chairman Nelson began by saying that hurricanes incur enormous costs to society, states, and insurance companies, noting that 3,000 people have died since 2003 due to hurricane-related events. Ranking Member Vitter (R-LA) added that 1,800 people died as a result of Hurricane Katrina and expressed that “there’s a clear need for advanced [hurricane] research”.
Senator Martinez followed by saying the National Science Board (NSB) estimates that from 2002–2007, economic losses due to hurricanes cost $180 billion. The senator is concerned that, in comparison, earthquakes caused only an estimated $14 billion in economic losses. However there is a national earthquake research initiative, NEHRP, while there is no national hurricane research initiative.
During the question and answer portion of the hearing, Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier, Co-Chairman of the Task Force on Hurricane Science and Engineering at the National Science Board (NSB), stated the earthquake community has been better mobilized than the hurricane community. He also noted the NSB is looking at hurricanes as an all-encompassing social problem, especially as more and more people move to coastal regions.
Senator Martinez asked about the scientific progress being made in regard to hurricane mitigation. Dr. Richard Spinrad, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), responded by saying NOAA has made dramatic improvements in hurricane track forecasts, but more research needs to be done to improve hurricane intensity forecasts. In fact, he noted that the forecast for Hurricane Katrina was one of the best forecasts yet, however people did not respond to the warnings appropriately. Currently, NOAA is also on course to improve hurricane track forecasting by 50 percent in the next ten years.
Furthermore, Dr. Spinrad stated there are three categories that will be the most effective in progressing hurricane research, which are observations, modeling, and data assimilation. He noted that models need more computational horsepower in order to increase their resolution.
Finally, Senator Nelson asked how it is possible to encourage senators from non-coastal states to support a national hurricane research initiative. The witnesses all agreed the costs of hurricanes effect taxpayers throughout the country. Furthermore, hurricanes continue after they make landfall, often moving northward. Hurricanes are frequently responsible for flooding in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The witnesses all seemed to support the idea of a national hurricane research initiative, but were reluctant to make specific policy recommendations.
Please visit the Witness Statements for more information.