[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 79 (Monday, June 7, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. J.C. WATTS, JR.

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 7, 1999

  Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to honor 
the work of the National Weather Service of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The National Weather Service is 
essential to the safety of the American people by providing weather, 
water and climate forecasts and warnings for protection of life and 
property. We saw that service first-hand in Oklahoma just a short two 
weeks ago.
  Without the warnings by the National Weather Service, the number of 
personal injury and deaths would undoubtedly have been higher. Warnings 
by the National Weather Service prompted the closure of roads and 
highways that lead into the path of the slow-moving tornado, saving an 
untold number of lives. I have heard countless stories of people who, 
at the prompting of the National Weather Service warnings, took shelter 
in the center of their homes or fled their homes for the safety of a 
storm shelter and survived, while their homes were destroyed. I and 
numerous other Oklahomans are indebted to the service of the National 
Weather Service.
  Yet the ability the Service demonstrated was not an accident; they 
have been preparing for times such as this for many years, through 
planning, training, and research and development. New technologies 
pioneered by NOAA research allowed warnings to be issued up to 30 
minutes before the tornadoes struck in Oklahoma. Contrast this with the 
6 minute average lead time before the technology was available. 
Partnerships forged between the National Weather Service, media, law 
enforcement officials, and emergency managers, and their seamless 
response to this disaster was critical to the successful warning 
process that saved countless lives in Oklahoma.
  I applaud the work of the National Weather Service, Mr. Speaker, and 
support the continued generous funding of the Service through this 
appropriations process.

                          ____________________