DeMint: Americans Must Prepare for Active Hurricane Season
DeMint: Americans Must Prepare for Active Hurricane Season
Highlights most at-risk cities, calls on NOAA to improve intensity forecast
Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) chaired a hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Disaster Prevention and Prediction on the 2006 Hurricane Forecast. The hearing highlighted several highly populated U.S. communities that would suffer significant hurricane flooding and damage including: New York, N.Y.; Houston/Galveston, Tex.; Providence, R.I.; Miami, Fla.; and Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla. Senator DeMint urged Americans prepare for an active hurricane season.
"If we learned anything from Hurricane Katrina, it's that we must be prepared for nature's worst," said Senator DeMint. "Everyone living near the coast should prepare for the possibility of a major hurricane, and some cities have more reason to be concerned than others. Areas that you wouldn't assume to be at risk, such as New York City, would have severe damage if a hurricane directly hit."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) announced on Monday that they are 80% confident that the Atlantic Hurricane Season is going to be an above average season. They estimate between 4 and 6 major hurricanes this year - Category 3, 4, or 5 level hurricanes.
"NOAA should be commended for the important work in predicting storms and giving crucial information to affected communities. In 2005, they correctly predicted the storm path of Hurricane Katrina days in advance," said Senator DeMint. "However, I am concerned that NOAA has shown little progress in improving the quality of its intensity forecast. The current 1% annual improvement is no where near the dramatic improvement in hurricane tracking and no where near the level of accuracy of intensity our communities need to be safe."
"My nightmare scenario, and one I think I share with the witnesses here, is that the citizens of Charleston go to sleep one night with a weak category one storm off their shores and wake up in the morning with a category three storm bearing down on the city and few people having been evacuated. As you can imagine the consequences would be devastating."
S.C. Adjutant General Stan Spears testified before the committee on the role of the National Guard in hurricanes and emergency response. Spears has helped to lead South Carolina disaster efforts since 1995 and said, "To make sure we preposition our resources in the best areas, we need better forecasts and more accurate predictions on the storm path."
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