National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 23, legislation that reauthorizes the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, or NWIRP.

America faces significant exposure to windstorms. We saw that, indeed, in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy devastated parts of the Northeast. Superstorm Sandy was responsible for over 200 deaths and caused over $70 billion in damage.

According to the National Weather Service, from 2005 to 2014, thousands of Americans lost their lives from the impacts of windstorms. Along with the loss of life, windstorms caused many billions of dollars in property and crop damage during that time.

When windstorms occur, we must work to save lives and reduce the amount of property and crop damage that the windstorm or other natural disaster causes. We already are investing significant resources after a windstorm, but we should be investing more in preparedness.

FEMA's predisaster mitigation program has demonstrated that every dollar invested in mitigation activities saves $3 to $4 in recovery costs.

The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015 is largely a mitigation program. The bill reauthorizes the NWIRP program that directs NIST, NSF, NOAA, and FEMA to support coordinated activities to improve our understanding of windstorms and their impacts and to develop cost-effective mitigation measures.

This program has the potential to lessen the loss of life and economic damage of windstorms by supporting research and helping to translate that research into more effective building codes and mitigation programs, but this program needs robust investment to achieve that result.

Unfortunately, this bill includes a lower total authorization level than was authorized for this program in fiscal year 2008.

We have the responsibility, I believe, to assist our constituents after a natural disaster occurs, but we also have the responsibility to properly support mitigation programs that could reduce the loss of life and property damage caused by the next natural disaster.

Nevertheless, this is an important program that needs reauthorization, and I, today, support its passage.

I want to thank the members of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, including Chair Smith, Ranking Member Johnson, and Representative Neugebauer, for their hard work on this bill.

I want to thank the members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for their hard work as well. It is nice to see my colleagues here in the House of Representatives and over in the Senate working in a bipartisan, bicameral manner to bring this bill to the floor today.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, we must help our constituents prepare for and mitigate the impacts of windstorms that threaten lives and property. This bill reauthorizes a program that would do just that, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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