BETHEL SPRINGS, TENN. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) toured damage in McNairy County, TN from the March 31 tornado that took 9 lives in the county. The visit comes as she and Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) reintroduced the Tornado Observation Research Notification and Deployment to Operations (TORNADO) Act to improve the forecasting and understanding of tornadoes and other hazardous weather. The TORNADO Act would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to update its methods for predicting and communicating weather alerts to residents.

“Earlier this year, severe weather and tornadoes took over a dozen precious Tennessee lives and disrupted thousands of livelihoods,” said Senator Blackburn. “This bipartisan legislation would provide a better understanding of forecasting and communication before and during hazardous weather, so that we can improve warning time and help keep people safe.”

Senator Blackburn toured damage in McNairy County, TN from the March 31 tornado that took 9 lives in the county. 

Senator Blackburn spoke with officials in the McNairy County FEMA Disaster Recovery Center.

Senators Blackburn and Wicker were joined by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Thune, (R-S.D.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.).

“Even when tornadoes are well-forecasted, warnings do not always provide enough lead time to ensure the public can respond or seek appropriate shelter. The federal government has a vested interest in making sure Americans have as much notice as possible of severe weather,” said Senator Wicker. “The TORNADO Act would improve the forecasting and understanding of these natural disasters so we can prevent future loss of life and property.”

The goal of the TORNADO Act would be to require NOAA to implement new technology and procedures that could help increase the lead times provided to the public in advance of extreme weather events.

Among other provisions, the TORNADO Act would:

• Require NOAA to prepare and submit an action plan for the national implementation of high-resolution probabilistic guidance for tornado forecasting and prediction.
• Encourage NOAA to evaluate the current tornado rating system and make updates.
• Require NOAA to coordinate with appropriate entities when conducting post-storm assessments to optimize data collection, sharing, and integration. 

The full text of the bill can be found here.

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