Robert Pittenger: “I thank the chairman for his exceptional leadership on this very important legislation. In 2012, 7-year-old Jamal…”

“I thank the chairman for his exceptional leadership on this very important legislation. In 2012, 7-year-old Jamal Stevens was in his bed when a tornado tore through the house, tossing him onto the embankment along Interstate 485, hundreds of feet from his room. The warning from the National Weather Service came 10 minutes later, after the tornado had already touched down. This is because my hometown of Charlotte relies on radar nearly 100 miles away, meaning that the National Weather Service is using weak or inaccurate readings when issuing crucial safety warnings for Charlotteans. In 2013, the current system provided a tornado warning, but for citizens in an entirely wrong neighborhood. More recently, a tornado in December of 2015 struck neighboring Union County with no warning from the National Weather Service. Fortunately, our region has not suffered any fatalities due to the inadequate coverage, but we shouldn't wait for tragedy to act. The Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act requires the Commerce Department to identify weak coverage areas and identify solutions to the problem by improving existing government radars or incorporating non-Federal radars into the National Weather Service's operations. Americans across the country rely on the National Weather Service to detect and provide warning for severe weather such as thunderstorms and tornadoes. But Charlotte is currently the largest metropolitan area without an adequate radar coverage.…”