With the South still recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could benefit from the modernization of its hurricane hunter aircraft fleet, a request magnified by Representatives Scott Franklin (R-FL) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) in a bipartisan letter.
Specifically, the two called for additional funding to the hurricane hunter fleet in any future emergency disaster relief package. The funds would allow for the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) to finish constructing two new planes currently being built and acquiring a third, an effort that could not come sooner with NOAA's current WP-3D Orion fleet being set to retire in 2030.
After all, the newer planes will improve NOAA's ability to track and predict hurricanes, droughts, and fire weather and plan for water resource management.
"NOAA's hurricane hunter fleet is critical to delivering real-time data to improve the accuracy of forecasts and inform emergency management efforts. During Hurricane Milton, I joined the crew of NOAA 42 and saw firsthand the importance of this life-saving weather tracking technology. Congress must fund the modernization of NOAA's aging planes to help protect our communities," said Rep. Franklin in his press release.
"With increasingly severe hurricane seasons, communities across the nation are relying more than ever on NOAA's life-saving storm tracking and forecasting capabilities. By investing in new hurricane hunter aircraft now, we ensure that NOAA can continue to protect lives, property, and entire communities from the growing threats of extreme weather," Rep. Wasserman Schultz added.
The letter comes hot on the heels of a recent legislative victory for Representative Greg Steube (R-FL), whose Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, which had passed the House last year, finally made it through the Senate.
Similarly, a bipartisan bill introduced by Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL), which expedited disaster relief allocation to fisheries, passed the House with broad bipartisan support on Wednesday.
