[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 133 (Thursday, November 18, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11505-S11506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMENDING THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION AND ITS 
                               EMPLOYEES

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 149, introduced 
earlier today by Senator Hollings.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent 
resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 149) commending the 
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its 
     employees for its dedication and hard work during Hurricanes 
     Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the 
motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action 
or debate, and that any statements related to the concurrent resolution 
be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 149) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 149

       Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration's National Weather Service consistently 
     provides critical forecasts and warnings about severe weather 
     to the Nation's citizens;
       Whereas 4 hurricanes, Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne, 
     recently hit the State of Florida, an event which has not 
     occurred since 4 hurricanes struck Texas in 1886;
       Whereas Hurricane Jeanne was the fourth hurricane in 6 
     weeks to hit the United States mainland;
       Whereas the employees of the National Oceanic and 
     Atmospheric Administration Tropical Prediction Center/
     National Hurricane Center and the employees of key Southern 
     Region Weather Forecast Offices worked tirelessly and under 
     great pressure to provide the most up to date information to 
     the public, the media, and emergency management officials 
     during Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne;
       Whereas the employees of the National Hurricane Center 
     conducted approximately 1,128 live television and radio 
     interviews as

[[Page S11506]]

     well as 1,480 telephone briefings to the media and others 
     during Hurricane Frances;
       Whereas the forecasts and information from the National 
     Hurricane Center provided notice for the evacuation of 
     millions of residents in the line of Hurricanes Charley, 
     Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne and warnings to the residents of 
     Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana;
       Whereas the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research's 
     Hurricane Research Division at the Atlantic Oceanographic and 
     Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, Florida conducts the 
     research needed to improve hurricane forecasts and went on 
     flights in and around hurricanes to gather and improve data 
     that goes into the National Hurricane Center's forecasts, 
     watches, and warnings to protect lives and property;
       Whereas the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research's 
     Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, New 
     Jersey developed, carefully monitors, and continues to 
     improve the National Weather Service's operational hurricane 
     model used to determine where the storms are likely to go;
       Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration's Marine and Aviation Operation's Hurricane 
     Hunters logged over 300 hours of operational hours of flight 
     time through and above the storms to assist the National 
     Hurricane Center in tracking Hurricanes Charley, Frances, 
     Ivan, and Jeanne;
       Whereas the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the 
     403rd Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command at Keesler Air 
     Force Base, Biloxi, Mississippi, logged 739 hours of flight 
     time through and around the storms to assist the National 
     Hurricane Center in tracking Hurricanes Charley, Frances, 
     Ivan, and Jeanne;
       Whereas the Hurricane Liaison Team, a joint National 
     Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Federal Emergency 
     Management Agency partnership, provided support to the 25 
     different media outlets operating out of the National 
     Hurricane Center;
       Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center 
     provided rainfall forecasts and hurricane track guidance to 
     the National Hurricane Center;
       Whereas the National Weather Service's National Data Buoy 
     Center, in partnership with the United States Coast Guard, 
     worked expediently after Hurricane Charley to fix data buoys 
     that proved critical for forecasts of Hurricane Frances, 
     Ivan, and Jeanne;
       Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration's National Ocean Service provided storm surge 
     predictions and hydrographic information support to Federal 
     partners before, during, and after Hurricanes Charley, 
     Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne;
       Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration's National Environmental Satellite Data and 
     Information Service provided images of Hurricane Frances 
     every 5 minutes over a 4-day period, an unprecedented number 
     of images for hurricane tracking;
       Whereas the Southern, Eastern, and Central Region Weather 
     Forecast Offices of San Juan, Miami, Tampa Bay, Key West, 
     Melbourne, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Atlanta, Birmingham, 
     Huntsville, Mobile, Morristown, Charleston, Morehead City, 
     Wilmington, Wakefield, and Taunton provided up-to-the-minute 
     local details for residents throughout Hurricanes Charley, 
     Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne;
       Whereas employees from other offices within the Southern 
     Region provided additional support to key Weather Forecast 
     Offices directly impacted by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, 
     Ivan, and Jeanne;
       Whereas more than 7,000 watches, warnings, advisories, and 
     other statements were issued by key local Weather Forecast 
     Offices during Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne;
       Whereas the Southeast River Forecast Center provided 
     critical river flooding forecast information to Federal, 
     State, and private partners during Hurricanes Charley, 
     Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne and accurately predicted the amount 
     of excessive rainfall over the Southeastern United States 
     several days in advance; and
       Whereas the hurricane season continues through November, 
     and all these employees continue tracking new tropical 
     depressions approaching the United States coast: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring),  That the Congress--
       (1) commends the employees of the National Weather Service, 
     especially the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane 
     Center, Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, and National 
     Data Buoy Center; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration Aircraft Operations Center at MacDill Air 
     Force Base, Tampa, Florida; the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance 
     Squadron of the 403rd Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command 
     at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Mississippi; the Hurricane 
     Liaison Team; the National Ocean Service; and the National 
     Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service, for 
     their extraordinary dedication and hard work during 
     Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne;
       (2) commends the Southern, Eastern, and Central Region 
     Weather Forecast Offices of San Juan, Miami, Tampa Bay, Key 
     West, Melbourne, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Atlanta, 
     Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Morristown, Charleston, 
     Morehead City, Wilmington, Wakefield, Taunton, Lake Charles, 
     New Orleans, Jackson, Nashville, and Houston for their 
     extraordinary dedication and hard work during Hurricanes 
     Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne;
       (3) commends the employees of the Office of Oceanic and 
     Atmospheric Research, especially the Hurricane Research 
     Division;
       (4) thanks the commercial and media meteorologists for 
     their contributions in disseminating the National Oceanic and 
     Atmospheric Administration forecasts and warnings to the 
     public; and
       (5) expresses its support for the ongoing hard work and 
     dedication of all who provide accurate and timely hurricane 
     forecasts.

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