[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 16477-16478]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
RECOGNIZING NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION'S AIRCRAFT 
                           OPERATIONS CENTER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from

[[Page 16478]]

Louisiana (Mr. Abraham) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the 
critical and lifesaving work being done by the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration's Aircraft Operations Center.
  On September 23, I had a front row seat flying into the eye of 
Hurricane Maria as it headed toward Puerto Rico and the coastal United 
States. I rode through the hurricane aboard a NOAA P-3 Orion operated 
by the highly specialized workforce of the NOAA Commissioned Officer 
Corps, civilian technicians, meteorologists from NOAA, and others, who 
have safely navigated these hurricanes for decades.
  The P-3's instruments collect and transmit realtime weather data from 
storms far out to the sea back to the mainland. This data is critical 
for hurricane forecasters used by the American public and emergency 
managers.
  Providing the most accurate forecasts of hurricane track and 
intensity, as early as possible, is the focus of these flights. Whether 
a strong hurricane directly hits a major U.S. city or weakens and spins 
out to sea with minimal impacts is a question that can impact billions 
of dollars and thousands of lives. These flights are vital to protect 
our Nation's lives and property.
  In addition to the P-3 hurricane hunter I flew in, NOAA also has a G-
IV jet that goes high above the storm. The specialized instrumentation 
on NOAA hurricane aircraft provides critical storm data. The dual-
channel tail doppler radars provide three-dimensional views of the 
storm.
  These advanced technology tools make NOAA's fleet a critical resource 
to safeguard lives and property when hurricanes threaten our shores. 
There is no doubt that this has been a challenging hurricane season for 
the country, with Hurricane Harvey's flooding in Louisiana and Texas, 
Hurricane Irma impacting Florida, and Hurricane Maria devastating 
Puerto Rico. NOAA's aircraft have performed tirelessly throughout these 
events. Over a 4-week period, two NOAA hurricane aircraft flew over 300 
hours and dropped over 500 weather probes into these storms.
  After the hurricanes pass, NOAA's work is not done. NOAA's fleet of 
light aircraft perform poststorm damage assessments, taking high 
resolution images that enable limited emergency response resources to 
be delivered to the most critical areas.
  NOAA's King Air aircraft emergency response efforts to Hurricanes 
Harvey, Irma, and Maria have resulted in more than 1.7 billion requests 
for damage assessment images. In total, more than 65,000 images were 
collected, covering more than 24,000 square kilometers of impacted 
areas. Think about that. These images allow emergency managers and the 
general public to be able to flee quickly, to react quickly, and to 
assess quickly in these impacted areas.
  NOAA's light survey aircraft also perform a diverse set of missions, 
including river and snow pack surveys essential for flood forecasts and 
water management; coastal mapping required for safe maritime navigation 
by commercial, military, and recreational sectors; and fisheries 
assessments.
  NOAA's aircraft are responsive and flexible, able to deploy at a 
moment's notice in support of national disaster response. NOAA aircraft 
provided critical data and support on scene following the Deepwater 
Horizon event and over the skies of New York after Hurricane Sandy. 
NOAA aircraft provide data critical for public safety, economic, and 
national security.
  The NOAA aircraft fleet, the NOAA Commissioned Corps, and NOAA 
civilians are an invaluable natural resource, and it is one that we 
have a duty to maintain. These crews and aircraft require regular 
updates, readiness training, and technology enhancements that directly 
benefit us and our country.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues and the President to 
ensure that NOAA aircraft fleet has all of the resources they need to 
safeguard lives and property for decades to come.

                          ____________________