III 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 488 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 23, 2004 
Received and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Commending the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-
istration and its employees for its dedication and hard 
work during Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan. 
Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion’s National Weather Service consistently provides 
critical forecasts and warnings about severe weather to 
the Nation’s citizens; 
Whereas 2 hurricanes, Charley and Frances, recently hit the 
State of Florida back-to-back, an event which has not oc-
curred since 1964;
HCON 488 RFS 
Whereas Hurricane Ivan was the third hurricane in a month 
to hit the United States mainland; 
Whereas the employees of the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration Tropical Prediction Center/Na-
tional Hurricane Center and the employees of key South-
ern 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, and Ivan; 
Whereas the employees of the National Hurricane Center 
conducted 656 live television interviews as well as 1227 
telephone briefings to the media and others during Hurri-
canes Frances and Ivan; 
Whereas the forecasts and information from the National 
Hurricane Center provided notice for the safe evacuation 
of more than 6,000,000 residents in the line of Hurri-
canes Charley, Frances, and Ivan and warnings to the 
residents of Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Lou-
isiana; 
Whereas the Hurricane Liaison Team, a joint National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration and Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency partnership, provided support 
to the 25 different media outlets operating out of the Na-
tional Hurricane Center; 
Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion’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
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Guard, worked expediently after Hurricane Charley to fix 
data buoys that proved critical for forecasts of Hurricane 
Frances and Ivan; 
Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion’s National Ocean Service provided storm surge pre-
dictions and hydrographic information support to Federal 
partners before, during, and after Hurricanes Charley, 
Frances, and Ivan; 
Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion’s National Environmental Satellite Data and Infor-
mation 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 and Eastern Region Weather Forecast 
Offices of San Juan, Miami, Tampa Bay, Key West, Mel-
bourne, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Atlanta, Birmingham, 
Huntsville, Mobile, Morristown, Charleston, Morehead 
City, Wilmington, Wakefield, Taunton, Lake Charles, 
New Orleans, Jackson, Nashville, and Houston provided 
up-to-the-minute local details for residents throughout 
Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan; 
Whereas employees from other offices within the Southern 
Region provided additional support to key Weather Fore-
cast Offices directly impacted by Hurricanes Charley, 
Frances, and Ivan; 
Whereas more than 1,700 watches, warnings, advisories, and 
other statements were issued by key local Weather Fore-
cast Offices during Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and 
Ivan; 
Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion’s Marine and Aviation Operation’s Hurricane Hunt-
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ers logged 344 hours of flight time through and above 
the storms to assist the National Hurricane Center in 
tracking Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan; 
Whereas the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the 
403rd Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command at 
Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Mississippi, logged 537 
hours of flight time through and above the storms to as-
sist the National Hurricane Center in tracking Hurri-
canes Charley, Frances, and Ivan; 
Whereas the Southeast River Forecast Center provided crit-
ical river flooding forecast information to Federal, State, 
and 
private 
partners 
during 
Hurricanes 
Charley, 
Frances, and Ivan and accurately predicted the amount 
of excessive rainfall over the Southeastern United States 
several days in advance; and 
Whereas it is still the first half of hurricane season and all 
these employees remain engaged tracking tropical storms: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
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 Na-
tional Data Buoy Center; the 53rd Weather Recon-
naissance Squadron of the 403rd Wing of the Air 
Force Reserve Command at Keesler Air Force Base, 
Biloxi, Mississippi; the National Oceanic and Atmos-