Kay Bailey Hutchison: “as you know, there have been a number of severe tornadoes, wind storms, hurricanes and other wind-related disasters in…”

“as you know, there have been a number of severe tornadoes, wind storms, hurricanes and other wind-related disasters in recent months which have killed scores of people and destroyed communities. Earlier this year, the small town of Jarrell, TX, experienced a tornado that killed 29 people, seriously injured many others, and caused millions of dollars in damage to homes and businesses. The President's home State of Arkansas was also hit by a wind disaster that resulted in loss of life. The home State of the Ranking Minority Member of the Subcommittee, Senator Hollings is still rebuilding after the devastation of Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Mr. President, there is important work being done at Texas Tech University to help improve design construction of buildings to make them more resilient to windstorms. The laboratory building will include space to house a wind tunnel, a structural and building component testing lab and a material testing lab. These laboratory facilities will be used to develop innovative building frames and components that are resilient to extreme winds and windborne debris and yet are economically affordable.”