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White House proposes $55M in upgrades to detect storms
Associated Press
Published October 31, 2005
MIAMI - Hurricane forecasting and research improvements, including a new "hurricane hunter" airplane, are part of a Bush administration proposal to provide an additional $55-million this year for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Lawmakers and experts said Sunday that the infusion of money is essential during a record-setting hurricane season that has included such killer storms as Katrina, Rita and Wilma.
The White House included the $55-million in NOAA upgrades in a proposal released Friday night to shift $17.1-billion from Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief accounts into such things as rebuilding damaged highways, repairing levees and fixing government buildings. The plan, which provides a one-time cash infusion, requires approval from Congress.
The Bush administration's proposal follows criticism from researchers and forecasting experts that the level of spending on hurricane-related programs is far less than it should be, with many agencies lacking adequate staff and using outdated or broken equipment.
Bob Sheets, former director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said the damage and deaths caused by major hurricanes this year have demonstrated the value of accurate hurricane forecasts. Improved accuracy also has an economic impact by reducing unnecessary evacuations and ensuring that people in a storm's path take steps to protect property, he said.
One big-ticket item in the request would be purchasing another P-3 Orion "hurricane hunter" aircraft, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
NOAA has three aircraft - two 1970s propeller-driven P-3s and one high-altitude Gulfstream IV jet - stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said he would continue pushing for a second NOAA jet, which he said has improved hurricane forecasts by 25 percent because the aircraft can fly high enough to measure steering currents.
"They are so much more accurate in their predictions. But they've only got one of them," he said. "I just want a legitimate backup with the equipment."
[Last modified October 31, 2005, 03:00:27]
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