I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2486
To authorize the National Weather Service to conduct research and develop-
ment, training, and outreach activities relating to tropical cyclone inland
forecasting improvement, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 12, 2001
Mr. ETHERIDGE (for himself, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. HALL of Texas, Mr.
BRADY of Texas, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. JONES of North Carolina, Mr.
PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr. MARKEY, Ms.
JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. LAN-
TOS, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. CRAMER, and Mr. DIAZ-
BALART) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Science
A BILL
To authorize the National Weather Service to conduct re-
search and development, training, and outreach activities
relating to tropical cyclone inland forecasting improve-
ment, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tropical Cyclone In-
land Forecasting Improvement and Warning System De-
velopment Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.
The National Weather Service shall—
(1) improve the capability, through research
and modeling, to forecast accurately inland flooding
associated with tropical cyclones;
(2) develop, test, and deploy a simple and dis-
tinct inland flood warning index or system, for use
by the public and emergency management officials,
that clearly defines inland flood risks and dangers;
(3) train emergency management officials, Na-
tional Weather Service personnel, meteorologists,
and others as appropriate regarding improved fore-
casting techniques for inland flooding, risk manage-
ment techniques, and use of the inland flood warn-
ing index or system developed under paragraph (2);
and
(4) conduct outreach and education activities
for local meteorologists and the public regarding the
dangers and risks associated with tropical cyclone-
induced inland flooding and the use and under-
standing of the inland flood warning index or system
developed under paragraph (2).
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Na-
tional Weather Service for carrying out this Act
$1,150,000 for each of the fiscal years 2002 through
2006. Of the amounts authorized under this section,
$250,000 for each fiscal year shall be available for a grant
to an institution of higher learning equipped to further
the development and application of an interactively cou-
pled modeling, environmental, and predictive system to
improve the ability to forecast coastal and estuary-inland
flooding associated with tropical cyclones.
SEC. 4. REPORT.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, and annually thereafter through fiscal
year 2006, the National Weather Service shall transmit
to the Committee on Science of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate a report on its activities
under this Act and the success and acceptance of the in-
land flood warning index or system developed under sec-
tion 2(2) by the public and emergency management pro-
fessionals.
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