Weather Forcasting

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss an example of the
real-life consequences of underinvesting in scientific research and
development.

Last week, with the development of Hurricane Joaquin, we were
reminded that U.S. weather forecasting is not what it should be. Our
system, GFS, predicted that Joaquin would hit the Mid-Atlantic States,
while the European model correctly predicted that it would remain at
sea, and nobody predicted the severity of the flooding that would hit
South Carolina. This wasn't the first time that our predictions have
missed the mark.

Three years ago we failed to predict the path of Hurricane Sandy,
while the European model correctly identified that it would be a direct
and devastating hit on New Jersey. After Sandy, we invested somewhat
more money into the computing ability of the National Weather Service,
but, as Joaquin has shown, it was too little, too late.

The economic costs of unnecessary evacuations are as real as missing
evacuations. Scientific research requires a steady investment of time
and talent to be successful. If we continue to underinvest in essential
infrastructure like weather forecasting, we do it at our own peril.

I urge my colleagues to heed this warning and to start taking
seriously the long-term investments that our R infrastructure
requires.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source