Source: PHOTO: Screencap of video from Sen. Todd Young’s office
WASHINGTON — You may remember when over 20 tornados touched down in Indiana, destroying homes and killing several people. Your senator is pushing for legislation to better prepare for another tornado outbreak.
The TORNADO Act (Tornado Observation Research Notification and Deployment to Operations), authored by Indiana Senator Todd Young and Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, would require NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to update it’s weather forecasting systems and post-storm processes.
In English, that means overhauling current prediction systems to get a better gauge on when a tornado may touch down and how strong it could be. NOAA would also be required to submit an action plan that could be put to use nationwide.
“In recent months, severe weather has tragically taken the lives of Hoosiers and devastated several Indiana communities. While we can’t prevent these storms from occurring, the TORNADO Act would improve severe weather forecasting, notifying the public faster and allowing Hoosiers to find safety more quickly,” said Senator Young in a press release Monday.
The TORNADO Act would also encourage, but not require, NOAA to look over it’s current tornado strength rating system and make any changes where it may deem necessary.
NOAA would be mandated, however, to coordinate with “appropriate entities” when conducting post-storm damage assessments and clean-ups, all in the name of making data collection simpler.
