[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3780 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3780

 To require the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to develop a 
  storm surge scale to be used in conjunction with the Saffir-Simpson 
   scale to measure and predict the impact of storm surges caused by 
         hurricanes and tropical storms and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 3, 2006

  Mr. Vitter introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to develop a 
  storm surge scale to be used in conjunction with the Saffir-Simpson 
   scale to measure and predict the impact of storm surges caused by 
         hurricanes and tropical storms and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Predict Accurate Storm Surge Act of 
2006''.

SEC. 2. DEVELOPMENT OF STORM SURGE SCALE.

    (a) Requirement to Develop Storm Surge Scale.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than June 1, 2007, the Under 
        Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere of the Department of 
        Commerce shall develop a storm surge scale to be used in 
        conjunction with the Saffir-Simpson scale to measure and 
        predict the impact of storm surges caused by storm events, 
        including hurricanes and tropical storms.
            (2) Cooperation and consultation.--The Under Secretary for 
        Oceans and Atmosphere shall develop the storm surge scale 
        described in paragraph (1) in cooperation with the Chief of 
        Engineers of the Army Corps of Engineers, the Director of 
        United States Geological Survey, the Under Secretary for 
        Emergency Preparedness and Response of the Department of 
        Homeland Security, and in consultation with appropriate 
        national, regional, and state engineering, flood plain, and 
        emergency managers organizations.
    (b) Considerations.--The storm surge scale developed pursuant to 
subsection (a) shall take into account factors related to the storm 
that will produce the storm surge, including wind speed and rainfall 
amounts and the characteristics of the area where the storm will make 
landfall, including the slope of the continental shelf and shape of the 
coastline of such area and whether such area is urban or rural area.
    (c) Requirements.--The storm surge scale developed pursuant to 
subsection (a) shall be--
            (1) developed to assist in the accurate modeling and 
        prediction of the effect of a storm surge upon landfall and to 
        assist officials in planning for the storm surge;
            (2) used to measure the storm surge associated with storm 
        events, including hurricanes and tropical storms; and
            (3) incorporated into the engineering and design of 
        appropriate coastal, flood, and hurricane protection projects 
        carried out by the United States.
                                 <all>