141 
veloping and disseminating watches and warn-
ings. 
‘‘(7) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this sec-
tion, the Program shall coordinate with the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) Federal partners, including National 
Laboratories, cooperative institutes, and re-
gional integrated sciences and assessments pro-
grams. 
‘‘(B) State and local government partners. 
‘‘(C) Tribal governments. 
‘‘(D) Institutions of higher education or a 
consortia thereof. 
‘‘(E) Media partners. 
‘‘(8) TIMELINESS
AND
CONSISTENCY.—The 
Program shall develop best practices and guidance 
for ensuring timely and consistent communications 
across public facing platforms that disseminate in-
formation related to hazardous weather or water 
events.’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents in 
section 1(b) of the Weather Research and Forecasting In-
novation Act of 2017 is amended by amending the item 
relating to section 406 to read as follows: 
‘‘Sec. 406. Hazardous Weather or Water Event Risk Communication.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:12 Sep 03, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00141
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6211
E:\BILLS\H5089.IH
H5089
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
142 
SEC. 403. HAZARD COMMUNICATION RESEARCH AND EN-
GAGEMENT. 
Section 406 of the Weather Research and Fore-
casting Innovation Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–25; 131 
Stat. 109), as amended by section 402 of this Act, is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
sections: 
‘‘(d) HAZARD COMMUNICATION RESEARCH AND EN-
GAGEMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall 
maintain, as appropriate, a program to— 
‘‘(A) modernize the development and com-
munication of risk-based, statistically reliable, 
probabilistic hazard information, with the goal 
of informing appropriate responses to haz-
ardous weather or water events; and 
‘‘(B) improve the fundamental social, be-
havioral, economic, risk, and communication 
science relating to communications, including 
by means of collecting voluntary data, regarding 
hazardous weather or water events. 
‘‘(2) COORDINATION.—In carrying out the pro-
gram under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary 
shall coordinate and communicate with States, Trib-
al governments, localities, and emergency managers 
regarding research priorities and results. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:12 Sep 03, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00142
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5089.IH
H5089
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
143 
‘‘(3) PILOT PROGRAM FOR TORNADO HAZARD 
COMMUNICATION
REQUIRED.—To further research 
into communications regarding hazardous weather 
or water events, the Under Secretary, in coordina-
tion with the VORTEX program under section 103 
and in collaboration with one or more eligible insti-
tutions (or a consortia thereof), shall establish a 
pilot program for tornado hazard communication to 
test the effectiveness of implementing research into 
operations with respect to tornadoes. 
‘‘(4) PILOT
STUDY
FOR
HURRICANE
HAZARD 
COMMUNICATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—To further research 
into 
communications 
regarding 
hazardous 
weather or water events, the Under Secretary, 
in coordination with the hurricane forecast im-
provement program under section 104, shall 
seek to enter into an agreement with an appro-
priate entity, as determined by the Under Sec-
retary, to conduct a pilot study using a mixed 
methods approach, such as surveys, focus 
groups, and interviews, to gather information 
from hurricane prone population areas regard-
ing the levels of preparedness of such areas for 
hurricanes or in response to the National Oce-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:12 Sep 03, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00143
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5089.IH
H5089
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
144 
anic and Atmospheric Administration’s early 
forecasts and warnings. Such study shall evalu-
ate the following: 
‘‘(i) Possession of disaster supplies. 
‘‘(ii) Evacuation decisions. 
‘‘(iii) Levels of trust of tropical cy-
clone information and hurricane path pre-
diction from various sources. 
‘‘(iv) Access to tropical cyclone and 
hurricane warnings in such study partici-
pant’s first language. 
‘‘(v) Determination regarding such 
study participant’s reasoning that may 
hinder the ability of such a participant to 
evacuate or willingness to evacuate. 
‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL
CRITERIA.—The pilot 
study described in subparagraph (A) shall de-
fine its methodology and be made publicly avail-
able on a website of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration. 
‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION DEFINED.—In this 
subsection, the term ‘eligible institution’ means any 
of the following: 
‘‘(A) An institution of higher education, 
nonprofit organization, or other institution lo-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:12 Sep 03, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00144
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5089.IH
H5089
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
145 
cated in a jurisdiction eligible to participate in 
the program under section 113 of the National 
Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988 
(42 U.S.C. 1862g). 
‘‘(B) An institution of higher education, 
nonprofit organization, or other institution lo-
cated in proximity to a Weather Forecast Office 
of the National Weather Service. 
‘‘(e) HURRICANE SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND ECO-
NOMIC SCIENCES.—As part of the program carried out 
under subsection (d), the Under Secretary shall carry out 
research and development activities to improve how the 
public receives, interprets, responds to, and values hurri-
cane forecasts and warnings. In conducting such activities, 
the Under Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) conduct a comprehensive review of what is 
known about how the public receives, interprets, re-
sponds to, and makes decisions regarding hurricane 
forecasts and warnings, including— 
‘‘(A) how the connections between weather 
observations, downstream models, and processes 
affect the decision tools or products derived 
from such hurricane forecasts and warnings; 
‘‘(B) how such hurricane forecasts and 
warnings generated by decision tools and prod-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:12 Sep 03, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00145
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5089.IH
H5089
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS