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Media Advisory 06-025

National Science Board Recommends Major New Investments in Hurricane Science and Engineering

Board to unveil a draft report for public comment at a Capitol Hill briefing

In August, 2004, Hurricane Charley tore apart whole communities of homes and businesses in Florida.

In August 2004, Hurricane Charley tore apart whole communities of homes and businesses in Florida.


September 26, 2006

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

The National Science Board will release a draft report for public comment on Sept. 29 at a Capitol Hill news briefing with lawmakers that will propose a major new National Hurricane Research Initiative and recommend new funding to jumpstart this effort. The report, Hurricane Warning: The Critical Need for a National Hurricane Research Initiative, will be unveiled in U.S. Capitol Room SC-6 on Sept. 29 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Media are invited to attend the briefing.

The devastation resulting from hurricanes cost the lives of many U.S. citizens. In addition, estimated losses to private homes and businesses, as well as environmental and property damage reached a stifling $179 billion from 2001-2005. The losses alone from four hurricanes and tropical storms that hit Florida and the East in 2004, and from Hurricane Katrina and other storms in 2005, were estimated at $168 billion. In the final tally, the figure could be higher still.

Since December 2005, a Science Board task force has been studying the issue of nationwide investments in hurricane science and engineering. Its report warns that relative to the tremendous damage and suffering caused by hurricanes, the federal investment in hurricane science and engineering is insufficient, and as the Board document exclaims, "time is not on our side."

The Board will call for a wide interdisciplinary and organizational approach to address priorities needed for the nation to become "more resilient" to hurricane impacts. The Board recommends that the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) lead the interagency effort. The public will have a 30-day period to comment on the report following its unveiling on Capitol Hill.

The National Science Board is a 24-member independent advisory body to the President and Congress on matters of national science and engineering policy. The Board also serves as the oversight and policy setting body of the National Science Foundation. (See: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/overview/about.htm )

Who:

Steven C. Beering, M.D., President Emeritus, Purdue University, and Chairman, National Science Board

Kenneth M. Ford, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Pensacola, Fla., and co-chair of the National Science Board's Task Force on Hurricane Science and Engineering

Kelvin K. Droegemeier, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Research, Regents' Professor of Meteorology and Weathernews Chair, University of Oklahoma, Norman, and co-chair of the National Science Board's Task Force on Hurricane Science and Engineering

What:

National Science Board briefing on findings of its draft report for public comment, Hurricane Warning: The Critical Need for a National Hurricane Research Initiative

When:

Friday, Sept. 29, 2006, from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Where:

Room SC-6, U.S. Capitol

(Note to reporters/editors: Reporters who do not have U.S. Capitol press credentials must enter through the North Door of the Capitol on the Constitution Avenue side, process through security, and report to the Appointments Desk for a temporary access pass and directions to the event room).

-NSF-


  • In Pensacola, Fla., engineers check a building for structural integrity following Hurricane Ivan.
    Credit and Larger Version

Media Contacts
Bill Noxon, National Science Foundation, 703-292-8070, email: bnoxon@hughes.net

Program Contacts
Jean Pomeroy, NSF, (703) 292-7000, email: jpomeroy@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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