National Hurricane Center Funding

In the last several years, the NHC's funding has been cut dramatically, mainly in the area of Hurricane Hunter aircraft and research. These aircraft are vital to helping us better understand hurricanes in general and what the current conditions are in a hurricane that is threatening land. Everyone in the path of a hurricane need to know what is coming towards them, so they can better prepare for the storm and decide if they are going to evacuate or not.





Another critical area is in preparedness prior to the season. More funding needs to be funneled into helping people understand the risks they are in and how to better combat their risks. Another area involved with preparedness is mitigation. Funding needs to be increased in mitigation so the U.S. can find better ways to prepare property, such as windows, doors, roofs, and cars, for the onslaught hurricanes bring.





The final critical area is the Hurricane Hunters, both Air Force Reserve and NOAA. Funding needs to be increased for them so that more research can occur in hurricanes, helping forecast models to become more accurate, so lives, property, and money can be saved in the long run.





I would like to see an increase of funding for the NHC in general, for use in preparedness information, Hurricane Hunter flights, research, and other hurricane related activities.