[House Hearing, 116 Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] CALM BEFORE THE STORM: REAUTHORIZING THE NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION PROGRAM ======================================================================= JOINT HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION __________ DECEMBER 4, 2019 __________ Serial No. 116-59 __________ Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov ______ U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 38-482 PDF WASHINGTON : 2020 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas, Chairwoman ZOE LOFGREN, California FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma, DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois Ranking Member SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon MO BROOKS, Alabama AMI BERA, California, BILL POSEY, Florida Vice Chair RANDY WEBER, Texas LIZZIE FLETCHER, Texas BRIAN BABIN, Texas HALEY STEVENS, Michigan ANDY BIGGS, Arizona KENDRA HORN, Oklahoma ROGER MARSHALL, Kansas MIKIE SHERRILL, New Jersey RALPH NORMAN, South Carolina BRAD SHERMAN, California MICHAEL CLOUD, Texas STEVE COHEN, Tennessee TROY BALDERSON, Ohio JERRY McNERNEY, California PETE OLSON, Texas ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado ANTHONY GONZALEZ, Ohio PAUL TONKO, New York MICHAEL WALTZ, Florida BILL FOSTER, Illinois JIM BAIRD, Indiana DON BEYER, Virginia JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER, Washington CHARLIE CRIST, Florida FRANCIS ROONEY, Florida SEAN CASTEN, Illinois GREGORY F. MURPHY, North Carolina BEN McADAMS, Utah JENNIFER WEXTON, Virginia CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania VACANCY ------ Subcommittee on Research and Technology HON. HALEY STEVENS, Michigan, Chairwoman DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois JIM BAIRD, Indiana, Ranking Member MIKIE SHERRILL, New Jersey ROGER MARSHALL, Kansas BRAD SHERMAN, California TROY BALDERSON, Ohio PAUL TONKO, New York ANTHONY GONZALEZ, Ohio BEN McADAMS, Utah JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER, Washington STEVE COHEN, Tennessee BILL FOSTER, Illinois ------ Subcommittee on Environment HON. LIZZIE FLETCHER, Texas, Chairwoman SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon ROGER MARSHALL, Kansas, Ranking CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania Member PAUL TONKO, New York BRIAN BABIN, Texas CHARLIE CRIST, Florida ANTHONY GONZALEZ, Ohio SEAN CASTEN, Illinois JIM BAIRD, Indiana BEN McADAMS, Utah FRANCIS ROONEY, Florida DON BEYER, Virginia GREGORY F. MURPHY, North Carolina C O N T E N T S December 4, 2019 Page Hearing Charter.................................................. 2 Opening Statements Statement by Representative Haley Stevens, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives........... 7 Written Statement............................................ 8 Statement by Representative Jim Baird, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives........... 8 Written Statement............................................ 10 Statement by Representative Lizzie Fletcher, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Environment, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives...................... 11 Written Statement............................................ 11 Statement by Representative Roger Marshall, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Environment, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives...................... 12 Written Statement............................................ 13 Statement by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Chairwoman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives................................................ 14 Written statement............................................ 15 Statement by Representative Frank Lucas, Ranking Member, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives................................................ 15 Written statement............................................ 17 Witnesses: Dr. Scott Weaver, Director of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology Oral Statement............................................... 19 Written Statement............................................ 21 Major General Lee Tafanelli, Kansas Adjutant General, Director of Kansas Homeland Security and Director of Emergency Management Oral Statement............................................... 30 Written Statement............................................ 32 Dr. Delong Zuo, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, National Wind Institute, Texas Tech University Oral Statement............................................... 36 Written Statement............................................ 38 Mr. Ryan Colker, Vice President of Innovation and Executive Director of the Alliance for National and Community Resilience, International Code Council Oral Statement............................................... 44 Written Statement............................................ 46 Discussion....................................................... 69 Appendix I: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions Dr. Scott Weaver, Director of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology..................................................... 84 Major General Lee Tafanelli, Kansas Adjutant General, Director of Kansas Homeland Security and Director of Emergency Management.. 86 Dr. Delong Zuo, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, National Wind Institute, Texas Tech University................. 88 Mr. Ryan Colker, Vice President of Innovation and Executive Director of the Alliance for National and Community Resilience, International Code Council..................................... 89 Appendix II: Additional Material for the Record Letters submitted by Representative Haley Stevens, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives........... 92 CALM BEFORE THE STORM: REAUTHORIZING THE NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION PROGRAM ---------- WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2019 House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Research and Technology, joint with the Subcommittee on Environment, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Washington, D.C. The Subcommittees met, pursuant to notice, at 2:33 p.m., in room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Haley Stevens [Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology] presiding. [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Chairwoman Stevens. This hearing will come to order. Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare recess at any time. Good afternoon, and welcome to this joint hearing of the Subcommittees on Research and Technology and Environment to review the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, known as NWIRP. Welcome to our distinguished panel of witnesses. I look forward to your testimony. Tornadoes, thunderstorms, hurricanes, and associated flooding are the deadliest and most costly natural hazards in the Nation. The National Weather Service reported that in 2018, 75 people lost their lives in wind-related storms, and another 80 died in flood-related events. The devastation caused by these storms have become synonymous with their locations and names. The tornadoes of Moore, Oklahoma and Joplin, Missouri, as well as Hurricanes Ike, Katrina, Sandy, Maria, Harvey, and so many more. Every State in the country is exposed to windstorm hazards from one or more storm types, including tornadoes, tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, Nor'easters, winter storms, mountain downslope winds, derechos, and others. Unfortunately, the costs associated with hurricanes are predicted to increase faster than we can pay for them. American families, businesses, and public sector organizations are expected to spend $54 billion on hurricane damages alone in 2019. However, we have tools and strategies that exist today that could help decrease these overwhelming statistics. The National Institute of Building Sciences found that communities across the Nation could see a 10-to-1 benefit/cost ratio for every investment made to meet common code requirements for wind mitigation. NWIRP was established in 2004 with three key objectives: Improved understanding of windstorms; improved windstorm impact assessment; and reduced windstorm impacts. Translating our fundamental understanding of wind behavior into reduction of windstorm impact is critical to saving lives and reducing property damage caused by severe windstorms. Understanding human behavior and decisionmaking is also essential to saving lives. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, leads NWIRP. The program also supports interdisciplinary science and engineering research, public education, support for improved building codes, and other activities at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA. FEMA supports an annual National Preparedness Month each September to promote family and community disaster and emergency planning. In addition to promoting adoption of current building codes, FEMA seeks to educate the general public about measures individuals can take, for example, knowing the safest places in their homes to hide during a storm. As climate change continues to increase the prevalence and risks of severe weather, the Federal investments through NWIRP provide us with the necessary tools to save lives and reduce the economic costs of windstorms. But implementing these tools requires partnership with local governments, the private sector, and individual Americans. Today's discussion will be in part about how we can continue to strengthen those partnerships. Authorization for NWIRP expired in 2017. The Science Committee looks forward to engaging with the windstorm research and building code communities and State and local governments on recommendations for reauthorization of this important program, and improving our Nation's resilience to devastating windstorms. [The prepared statement of Chairwoman Stevens follows:] Good afternoon and welcome to this joint hearing of the Subcommittees on Research and Technology and Environment to review the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, known as ``NWIRP.'' Welcome to our distinguished panel of witnesses. I look forward to your testimony. Tornadoes, thunderstorms, hurricanes, and associated flooding are the deadliest and most costly natural hazards in the nation. The National Weather Service reported that in 2018, 75 people lost their lives in wind-related storms and another 80 died in flood-related events. The devastation caused by these storms have become synonymous with their locations and names: the tornadoes of Moore, Oklahoma and Joplin, Missouri, as well as Hurricanes Ike, Katrina, Sandy, Maria, Harvey and so many more. Every state in the country is exposed to windstorm hazards from one or more storm types, including tornadoes, tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, Nor'easters, winter storms, mountain downslope winds, derechos, and others. Unfortunately, the costs associated with hurricanes are predicted to increase faster than we can pay for them. American families, businesses, and public sector organizations are expected to spend $54 billion on hurricane damages alone in 2019. However, we have tools and strategies that exist today that could help decrease these overwhelming statistics. The National Institute of Building Sciences found that communities across the nation could see a 10 to 1 benefit-cost ratio for every investment made to meet common code requirements for wind mitigation. NWIRP was established in 2004 with three key objectives--improved understanding of windstorms, improved windstorm impact assessment, and reduced windstorm impacts. Translating our fundamental understanding of wind behavior into reduction of windstorm impact is critical to saving lives and reducing property damage caused by severe windstorms. Understanding human behavior and decision making is also essential to saving lives. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, leads NWIRP. The Program also supports interdisciplinary science and engineering research, public education, support for improved building codes, and other activities at the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA supports an annual National Preparedness Month each September to promote family and community disaster and emergency planning. In addition to promoting adoption of current building codes, FEMA seeks to educate the general public about measures individuals can take, for example knowing the safest places in their homes to be during a storm. As climate change continues to increase the prevalence and risks of severe weather, the Federal investments through NWIRP provide us with the necessary tools to save lives and reduce the economic costs of windstorms. But implementing these tools requires partnership with local governments, the private sector, and individual Americans. Today's discussion will be in part about how we can continue to strengthen those partnerships. Authorization for NWIRP expired in 2017. The Science Committee looks forward to engaging with the windstorm research and building code communities and State and local governments on recommendations for reauthorization of this important program and improving our nation's resilience to devastating windstorms. Chairwoman Stevens. Before I recognize Dr. Baird for his opening statement, I would like to present for the record two letters from the American Society of Civil Engineers and Florida International University. The Chair now recognizes Dr. Baird for an opening statement. Mr. Baird. Good afternoon, and thank you, Chairwoman Stevens and Chairwoman Fletcher. I want to thank both of you for holding this joint hearing today. I appreciate the witnesses being here as well. I look forward to hearing from the progress the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, NWIRP, has made since its reauthorization in 2015. Millions of Americans live in areas vulnerable to hurricanes, tornadoes, and other windstorms. Due to shifts in populations, more than 50 percent of Americans now live on a coast or in Tornado Alley. Americans today are more vulnerable than ever to severe weather events. Every year families, and communities, and businesses suffer as lives are lost, and property is damaged. We spend billions of dollars each year on recovery efforts, and these are only expected to grow. That's why we need cost-effective measures to reduce the impact of windstorms on lives, buildings, and infrastructure. NWIRP was created to improve our understanding of windstorms, and to encourage the implementation of cost-effective mitigation measures. It will be good to hear from this program as proactively supporting research and development programs to save lives and reduce property damage caused by these horrific storms. One key element of NWIRP is the coordination of Federal agency research efforts in cooperation with other levels of government, academia, and the private sector. One example of NWIRP's research efforts is the National Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) network at the National Science Foundation. To make that brief, that's NHERI. We've got acronyms for everything around here, you know? NHERI provides a network of shared state-of-the-art research facilities and tools at universities around the country to help better understand and withstand the impacts of natural hazards. Purdue University, in my district, is leading the NHERI Network Coordination Office. The Coordination Office facilitates shared technical knowledge and best practices among the network of eight experimental facilities. This network allows hazard researchers to explore and test groundbreaking concepts of protecting our homes, our businesses, our infrastructure, lifelines, and to enable innovations that mitigate the damages from these natural hazards. The office also leads education and outreach, and the development of strategic partnerships around the world. The goal is for these partnerships to lead a coordinated global natural hazards engineering research infrastructure that fosters collaboration in new ways. These critical investments also offer educational opportunities to the students who will engineer our communities, and plan our disaster response in the future. These investments in R&D (research and development) activities support the creation of improved windstorm impact reduction measures, such as increased warning time, and the development of safe room building guidance. We know that these measures have the potential to save lives and reduce losses associated with hurricanes, tornadoes, and other severe wind hazards, but may not have been widely adopted. NWIRP is directed to conduct research--development to help improve building codes, voluntary standards, and construction practices to improve the resilience of structures to windstorms. While it has been some success, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on how we can better improve the transfer of this research to the building code communities. In addition, I look forward to hearing what steps NWIRP is taking to improve public outreach and information dissemination, and the promotion of the adoption of windstorm preparedness and mitigation measures, and what could be improved. I would like to thank our witnesses for taking the time to join us here today, and share your experience and your expertise, and I look forward to hearing from you. And, with that, I yield back the balance of my time. [The prepared statement of Mr. Baird follows:] Good afternoon Chairwoman Stevens and Chairwoman Fletcher. Thank you both for holding this joint hearing today. I look forward to hearing about the progress the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP) has made since its reauthorization in 2015. Millions of Americans live in areas vulnerable to hurricanes, tornadoes and other windstorms. Due to shifts in population, more than 50 percent of Americans now live on a coast or in tornado alley. Americans today are more vulnerable than ever to severe weather events. Every year families, communities, and businesses suffer as lives are lost and property is destroyed. We spend billions of dollars each year on recovery efforts and these are only expected to grow. That's why we need cost effective measures to reduce the impact of windstorms. NWIRP was created to improve our understanding of windstorms and to encourage the implementation of cost- effective mitigation measures. It will be good to hear how this program is proactively supporting research and development to save lives and reduce property damage caused by these horrific storms. One key element of NWIRP is the coordination of Federal agency research efforts, in cooperation with other levels of government, academia, and the private sector. One example of NWIRP's research efforts is the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure network at the National Science Foundation. NHERI provides a network of shared, state-of-the-art research facilities and tools at universities around the country to help us better understand and withstand the impacts of natural hazards. Purdue University in my district is leading the NHERI Network Coordination Office. The Coordination Office facilitates shared technical knowledge and best practices among the network of eight Experimental Facilities. This network allows hazards researchers to explore and test ground-breaking concepts for protecting our homes, businesses and infrastructure lifelines, and to enable innovations that mitigate the damages from natural hazards. The Office also leads education and outreach and the development of strategic partnerships around the world. The goal is for these partnerships to lead to a coordinated, global natural-hazards engineering research infrastructure that fosters collaboration in new ways. These critical investments also offer educational opportunities to the students who will engineer our communities and plan our disaster response in the future. These investments in R&D activities support the creation of improved windstorm impact reduction measures, such as increased warning time and the development of safe room building guidance. We know that these measures have the potential to save lives and reduce losses associated with hurricanes, tornados, and other severe wind hazards, but have not been widely adopted. NWIRP is directed to conduct research and development to help improve building codes, voluntary standards, and construction practices to improve the resilience of structures to windstorms. While it has seen some success, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on how we can better improve the transfer of this research to the building code communities. In addition, I look forward to hearing what steps NWIRP is taking to improve public outreach and information dissemination. I would like to thank our witnesses for taking the time to join us today to share your experience and expertise. Chairwoman Stevens. Thank you. The Chair now recognizes Mrs. Fletcher for an opening statement. Chairwoman Fletcher. Thank you, Chairwoman Stevens. I join you, and Ranking Members Baird and Marshall, in welcoming all of you today for today's joint hearing between the Research and Technology and the Environment Subcommittees on reauthorizing National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, NWIRP. NWIRP was established in 2004 to improve understanding of windstorms and their impacts, and to work to mitigate those impacts in a cost- effective way. The overall success of this program can be attributed to its inter-agency approach, led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, which helps to streamline Federal efforts, and leverage existing programs and activities. Windstorms affect all 50 States, and many territories, through severe weather events, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms. Unfortunately, my constituents in Houston know all too well the wind damage that we see from hurricanes, and the devastating impact that they can have. And, in fact, the scale used to grade hurricanes is based upon hurricane sustained wind speeds, and its potential to cause life and property damage. In Texas we're familiar with that as well, with tornadoes and strong thunderstorms in other parts of the State, as well as--we have seen more recently in Houston. That is why I'm so pleased that one of our witnesses, Dr. Zuo, is from the National Wind Institute based at Texas Tech University. It's crucial that we understand and identify interdisciplinary research needs so that we can improve the outcomes of NWIRP. On the Environment Subcommittee we've already discussed many of NOAA's programs and activities that support the goals of NWIRP. The agency's windstorm related research falls largely within the categories of hurricanes and other local severe weather, including tornadoes and thunderstorms. NOAA's operational role of providing windstorm forecasts and conducting post-event assessments, and its commitment to improving the integration of research to operations, is also a vital part of meeting NWIRP's goals. Programs like NWIRP will also benefit from NOAA's ongoing efforts to improve the accuracy, lead time, and dissemination of weather forecasts through the implementation of the Weather Research Forecasting Innovation Act, and the recently established Earth Prediction Innovation Center, or EPIC. Today's discussion will inform this Committee's work to reauthorize an interagency program that engages stakeholders across a variety of sectors, represented by our distinguished panel. I look forward to hearing from our non-Federal witnesses on how their organizations have successfully utilized the outcomes of the program, and their recommendations on how NWIRP can be improved. It is critical for this Committee, and Congress overall, to continue its work in evaluating and reauthorizing existing programs that have a successful track record of providing benefits for all of our constituents. Thank you, and I yield back. [The prepared statement of Chairwoman Fletcher follows:] Good afternoon. I would like to join Chairwoman Stevens in welcoming you to today's joint hearing between the Research and Technology, and Environment Subcommittees on reauthorizing the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program or NWIRP. NWIRP was established in 2004 to improve the understanding of windstorms and their impacts, and to work to mitigate those impacts in a cost-effective way. The overall success of this program can be attributed to its interagency approach, led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, which helps to streamline federal efforts and leverage existing programs and activities. Windstorms affect all 50 states and many territories through severe weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms. Unfortunately, my constituents in Houston, Texas are all too familiar with high winds from hurricanes and the damage they can cause. In fact, the Saffir-Sampson hurricane wind scale used to grade hurricanes is based upon a hurricane's sustained wind speeds and its potential to cause loss of life and property damage. My home state of Texas is also familiar with tornadoes and strong thunderstorms, which is why I am pleased to see that one of our witnesses, Dr. Delong Zuo, is from the National Wind Institute based at Texas Tech University. It is crucial that we understand and identify interdisciplinary research needs so we can improve the outcomes of NWIRP. On the Environment Subcommittee we have already discussed many of NOAA's programs and activities that support the goals of NWIRP. The agency's windstorm related research falls largely within the categories of hurricanes and other local severe weather including tornadoes and thunderstorms. NOAA's operational role of providing windstorm forecasts and conducting post event assessments, and its commitment to improving the integration of research to operations, is also a vital part of meeting NWIRP's goals. Programs such as NWIRP will also benefit from NOAA's ongoing efforts to improve the accuracy, lead time, and dissemination of weather forecasts through the implementation of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act and the recently established Earth Prediction Innovation Center, or EPIC. Today's discussion will inform this Committee's work to reauthorize an interagency program that engages stakeholders across a variety of sectors, represented by our distinguished panel. I look forward to hearing from our non-federal witnesses how their organizations have successfully utilized the outcomes of the program, and their recommendations on how NWIRP can be improved. It is critical for this Committee, and Congress overall, to continue its work in evaluating and reauthorizing existing programs that have a successful track record of providing benefits to our constituents. Thank you and I yield back. Chairwoman Stevens. Thank you, and the Chair now recognizes Dr. Marshall for an opening statement, and thank you so much, sir, for your tremendous leadership in today's hearing. Mr. Marshall. Thank you, Chairwoman Stevens and Chairwoman Fletcher, for holding this hearing. I appreciate this Committee's focus on improving forecasting the effects of severe weather events this Congress. Today's hearing builds on our previous work. It examines how we translate the knowledge gained from an improved forecast and use that to help our constituents better prepare for severe weather events, wind damage in this case. Damage from severe wind effects from tornadoes and thunderstorms is a phenomenon Kansans know too well, and it's certainly a tragedy that I know too well personally. One of our witnesses will recall the Greensburg Tornado of 2007, an F5 tornado that left 14 people dead. That tornado continued northward. By the time it got to my property, it was a mile wide. It literally looked like someone had taken a lawnmower, set it about 6, off the ground, and mowed off everything above 6,. The tornado decided I didn't need my porch, I didn't need my roof, and my barn should be repositioned. It was certainly a devastating night that I'll never forget. It was just 6 years earlier, prom night, in Hoisington, Kansas that an F4 tornado took about a third of the city out. Many of my friends', my patients' homes were damaged. Amazingly, only one fatality. And I'll always remember seeing the widow of that fatality the next week in my office. Farmers and ranchers face the constant threat of damaged equipment and lost crops due to severe weather. Homeowners in rural communities, towns, and cities all face the same prospect of damage to their homes. First responders and emergency personnel must be prepared for these events at a moment's notice. The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, more commonly known as NWIRP, was created by Congress in 2004. The legislation was written to help reduce the loss of life and property by ensuring a coordinated Federal response, and working with different levels of government, and private sector, and the research community in better understanding windstorms, and mitigating their impacts. NWIRP was reauthorized in 2015, and placed the National Institute of Standards and Technology in charge of coordinating Federal efforts. In the years since the program was created, we have made significant progress in understanding and mitigating the impacts of wind damage. NOAA has made strides in its ability to forecast extreme weather, and will continue to do so thanks to weather-related legislation passed by this Committee. The National Science Foundation has engaged in research which has helped to improve the communication of severe weather events to the public. NIST has led research which has resulted in improved building standards for communities across the country, but we must strive to doing more as we consider reauthorizing this program. Questions this Committee should ask include can we further improve the coordination of the Federal agencies involved in these efforts? How can we assist communities in adopting and utilizing the research generated through these efforts? I want to think our panel of witnesses for appearing today here with us, and help answer our questions. Our witnesses represent government, academic, and private-sector perspectives, and I look forward to a conversation about how we continue to press this important issue. My only regret today is my dad's not here with us. My dad was the Chief of Police in El Dorado, Kansas for 25 years, and it was his responsibility to decide when do you blow the sirens? When do you blow that tornado siren? And I remember many a night standing out on a turnpike on an overpass, watching the clouds as they came closer, and my dad trying to decide, do we blow the sirens or not? And it's my hope that the science that we can discover here, the improved emergency systems that we have, can lead to more safety, and take pressure off those people that are trying to make those life and death decisions. So thank you, Madam Chair, and I yield back. [The prepared statement of Mr. Marshall follows:] Thank you for holding this hearing, Chairwoman Stevens and Chairwoman Fletcher. I appreciate this committee's focus on improving forecasting the effects of severe weather events this Congress. Today's hearing builds on our previous work and examines how we can translate the knowledge gained from improved forecasts and use that to help our constituents better prepare for severe weather events--wind damage in this case. Damage from severe wind effects from tornadoes and thunderstorms is a phenomenon Kansans know well. Farmers and ranchers face the constant threat of damaged equipment and lost crops due to severe weather. Homeowners in rural communities, towns, and cities all face the same prospect of damage to their homes. First responders and emergency personnel must be prepared for these events at a moment's notice. The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program--more commonly known as NWIRP was created by Congress in 2004. This legislation was written to help reduce the loss of life and property by ensuring a coordinated federal response in working with different levels of government, the private sector, and the research community in better understanding windstorms and mitigating their impacts. NWIRP was reauthorized in 2015 and placed the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in charge of coordinating federal efforts. In the years since the program was created, we have made significant progress in understanding and mitigating the impacts of wind damage. NOAA has made strides in its ability to forecast extreme weather and will continue to do so thanks to weather-related legislation passed by this Committee. The National Science Foundation has engaged in research which has helped improve the communication of severe weather events to the public. NIST has led research which has resulted in improved building standards for communities across the country. But we must strive to do more as we consider reauthorizing this program. Questions this committee should ask include: Can we further improve the coordination of the federal agencies involved in these efforts? How can we assist communities in adopting and utilizing the research generated through these efforts? I want to thank our panel of witnesses for appearing here today who will help us answer these questions. Our witnesses represent government, academic, and private sector perspectives and I look forward to a conversation about how we can continue to address this important issue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I yield back. Chairwoman Stevens. And now we'll recognize the Chair of our entire Science Committee, Chairwoman Johnson, who we are also wishing a very happy belated birthday to today. Chairwoman Johnson. Thank you very much. Let me thank you, Chairwomen Stevens and Fletcher, for holding this hearing. As Chair Fletcher already discussed, the State of Texas has experienced devastating loss of life and property from hurricanes and associated flooding. Texas is also one of the States most vulnerable to tornadoes. When an EF-3 tornado hit my home city of Dallas in October, hundreds of people lost their homes and businesses. Two Dallas schools were destroyed. One estimate puts the economic cost of tornadoes that struck North Texas that night at $2 billion. We are so fortunate that no lives were lost. The nation is facing increasing natural disasters of all kinds due to the climate change and land use changes. The human and financial toll of these disasters is increasing, not just because of the increased severity and frequency of disasters, but also because of the growing population. The shift is where people are living, and the plan and policy choices made by local and State leaders. In Texas, building codes are adopted at the city and county level. A new survey of jurisdictions along the Texas coast by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety found that 840,000 Texans live in areas with no adopted residential building code. In its 2018 report, ``Rating State Building Code Systems for All Eastern and Southern Coastal States,'' the same institute gave Texas a score of 34 out of 100. Only three States ranked lower. Florida, on the other hand, received a 95. I hate to say it, but in this case Florida proves that where there's a will, there's a way. The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program provides States and local jurisdictions, as well as individual home and business owners, with the tools and information they need to protect their families, their property, and their communities. The risks are increasing, but the 15-year NWIRP program has not received the support it merits, including here in Congress. The program is carrying on even after the expiration of the last reauthorization thanks to the commitment and hard work of the program staff in each of the key agencies. And I applaud them for that, but they are operating on a shoestring budget at best. We must provide them with the resources and other support to carry out their mission. Many of us on this Committee are from States that have seen widespread devastation from windstorms, and we will see more. We are from red States, blue States, big cities, rural areas, wealthy and poor States. All of our communities are at risk, and those who are already the most economically vulnerable suffer the most when natural disasters strike. As you have heard, and will hear from others in the hearing, $1 invested in resilience is $10 saved. Reauthorizing the NWIRP program and providing the agencies with much needed resources will be a priority for this Committee in the new year. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and the same in the Senate. I thank you, and yield back. [The prepared statement of Chairwoman Johnson follows:] Thank you, Chairwomen Stevens and Fletcher, for holding this hearing. As Chair Fletcher already discussed, the state of Texas has experienced devastating loss of life and property from hurricanes and associated flooding. Texas is also one of the states most vulnerable to tornadoes. When an EF-3 Tornado hit my home city of Dallas in October, hundreds of people lost their homes or businesses. Two Dallas schools were destroyed. One estimate puts the economic cost of the tornadoes that struck North Texas that night at $2 billion. We are very fortunate that no lives were lost. This nation is facing increasing natural disasters of all kinds due to climate change and land use changes. The human and financial toll of these disasters is increasing not just because of the increased severity and frequency of disasters, but also because of the growing population, the shift in where people are living, and the planning and policy choices made by local and state leaders. In Texas, building codes are adopted at the city and county level. A new survey of jurisdictions along the Texas coast by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety found that 840,000 Texans live in areas with no adopted residential building code. In its 2018 report rating state building code systems for all eastern and southern coastal states, the same Institute gave Texas a score of 34 out of 100. Only 3 states ranked lower. Florida, on the other hand, received a 95. I hate to say it, but in this case, Florida proves that where there is a will, there is a way. The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program provides states and local jurisdictions, as well as individual home and business owners with the tools and information they need to protect their families, their property, and their communities. The risks are increasing, but the 15-year old NWIRP program has not received the support it merits, including here in Congress. The program is carrying on even after the expiration of the last reauthorization thanks to the commitment and hard work of program staff in each of the key agencies. And I applaud them for that. But they are operating on a shoestring budget at best. We must provide them with the resources and other support to carry out their mission. Many of us on this Committee are from states that have seen widespread devastation from windstorms. And we will see more. We are from red states and blue states, big cities and rural areas, wealthy and poor states. All of our communities are at risk, and those who are already the most economically vulnerable suffer the most when natural disasters strike. As you have heard and will hear from others in the hearing, $1 invested in resilience is $10 saved. Reauthorizing the NWIRP program and providing the agencies with much needed resources will be a priority for this Committee in the new year. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and in the Senate to get this done. Chairwoman Stevens. Thank you, Madam Chair. And now the Chair recognizes Ranking Member Lucas for an opening statement. Mr. Lucas. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, and good afternoon, Chairwoman Stevens, and I'd also like to thank you and Chairwoman Fletcher for holding this joint hearing today on the National Weather Storm Impact Reduction Program. As a son of Oklahoma, where--and yes, Rogers and Hammerstein were correct--the wind comes sweeping down the plain, efforts to reduce the loss of life and property from windstorms is of extreme importance to my family, my friends, and my neighbors. Oklahoma's part of an area of the Midwest referred to by many as Tornado Alley, and over the last decade, the last 10 years, tornadoes have caused an average financial loss of over $10 billion per year. This May, a four day tornado outbreak produced 190 tornadoes, impacting States across the Rockies, the midwest, the northeast, from Colorado to Oklahoma, and all the way to New Jersey. The estimated cost of this outbreak was $3.2 billion. Each year, lives are lost, billions are spent recovering from the destruction caused by tornadoes, hurricanes, and windstorms, and the costs associated with windstorms are increasing. NWIRP helps provide coordination between Federal Government agencies, universities, industry, local and State governments. This cooperation is needed to meet the great challenges of responding to windstorms. It is important we continue to support the Federal research done through NWIRP to improve our understanding of windstorms, their impacts, and to develop and enhance mitigation measures. For example, through NWIRP, NIST is supporting researchers from the University of Oklahoma who are developing maps of damaging winds using data collected from integrated remote and onsite observations. These observations will provide high resolution data in time and space, providing for improved real- time forecasting. NSF and NOAA are also working with the University of Oklahoma on the TORUS (Targeted Observations by Radars and UAS of Supercells) project. The project involves more than 50 researchers and students using different tools to measure the atmosphere, including unmanned aircraft systems, mobile radars, and NOAA's Hurricane Hunter aircraft. After 32 days on the road, traveling more than 9,000 miles, researchers encountered 19 supercells, with eight of those storms producing tornadoes. Researchers expect results from the TORUS project to be groundbreaking. The insights gained will improve our understanding of why supercells create tornadoes and others do not, leading to improved forecasting. The project is also offering hands-on training in the field for the future workforce. Students taking part in this project will give us better knowledge of windstorms and develop the next generation of applications for reducing future losses. I look forward to what they discover in the 2020 storm season and beyond. This research is important, but it is also key that we find practical and effective applications for this research, so that it reaches those who need it the most, States and local communities. I understand this is a challenge, but I look forward to hearing today on how NWIRP is working to tackle it, and to better prepare our Nation for windstorms. I'd like to thank our witnesses for coming today to share their expertise on the challenges, and hopeful successes, of reducing windstorm impacts. Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time, Madam Chair. [The prepared statement of Mr. Lucas follows:] Good afternoon Chairwoman Stevens. I would like to thank you and Chairwoman Fletcher for holding this joint hearing today on the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP). As a son of Oklahoma, where--the wind comes sweepin' down the plain--efforts to reduce the loss of life and property from windstorms is of extreme importance to my family, friends, and neighbors. Oklahoma is part of an area of the midwest called ``tornado alley.'' Over the past 10 years, tornados have caused an average financial loss of over $10 billion per year. This May, a four-day tornado outbreak produced 190 tornados, impacting states across the Rockies, Midwest and Northeast--from Colorado to Oklahoma and all the way to New Jersey. The estimated cost of this outbreak was $3.2 billion. Each year, lives are lost and billions are spent recovering from the destruction caused by tornadoes, hurricanes and other windstorms. And the costs associated with windstorms are increasing. NWIRP helps provide coordination between federal government agencies, universities, industry, and local and state governments. This cooperation is needed to meet the great challenge of responding to windstorms. It is important we continue to support the federal research done through NWIRP to improve our understanding of windstorms, their impacts, and to develop enhanced mitigation measures. For example, through NWIRP, NIST is supporting researchers from the University of Oklahoma who are developing maps of damaging winds using data collected from integrated remote and on-site observations. These observations will provide high resolution data in time and space, providing for improved real- time forecasting. NSF and NOAA are also working the University of Oklahoma on the TORUS project. The project involves more than 50 researchers and students using different tools to measure the atmosphere, including unmanned aircraft systems, mobile radars and NOAA's ``Hurricane Hunter'' aircraft. After 32 days on the road, traveling more than 9,000 miles, researchers encountered 19 supercell storms, with eight of those storms producing tornadoes. Researchers expect results from the TORUS project to be groundbreaking. The insights gained will improve our understanding of why some supercells create tornadoes and others do not, leading to improved forecasting. The project is also offering hands-on training in the field for the future workforce. Students taking part in this project will give us better knowledge of windstorms and develop the next generation of applications for reducing future losses. I look forward to what they discover in the 2020 storm season and beyond. This research is important, but it is also key that we find practical and effective applications for this research, so that it reaches those who need it most--states and local communities. I understand this is a challenge, but I look forward to hearing today how NWIRP is working to tackle it and to better prepare our nation for windstorms. I would like to thank our witnesses for coming today to share their expertise on the challenges, and hopefully successes, of reducing windstorm impacts. Thank you and I yield back the balance of my time. Chairwoman Stevens. Thank you so much, Mr. Lucas. And if there are other Members who wish to submit additional opening statements, your statements will be added to the record at this point. At this time I'd like to introduce our incredible witnesses. Our first witness is Dr. Scott Weaver. Dr. Weaver is the Director of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, NWIRP, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST. Dr. Weaver also holds an appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at the University of Maryland. He currently chairs the NWIRP Windstorm Working Group, a Federal inter- agency partnership that carries out coordination and implementation of the NWIRP program. Prior to joining NIST, Dr. Weaver served as the Senior Climate Scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund, and spent several years as a research meteorologist in the Climate Predication Center at NOAA. Thank you so much from bringing your expertise here. And, at this time, this Chair would also like to ask Dr. Marshall to introduce our next witness. Mr. Marshall. All right. Thank you, Chairwoman Stevens. I'm very proud today to welcome a good personal friend, and a fellow public servant to the people of Kansas, Major General Lee Tafanelli, as a witness today. Welcome, General Tafanelli. It's good to see you here. Major Tafanelli is the Adjutant General of Kansas, and the Director of Kansas Homeland Security and Emergency Management. In these roles, he oversees the activities of the Adjutant General's Department by providing personnel, administration, and training guidance for over 7,000 soldiers and airmen in the Kansas Army and Air National Guard, as well as leadership to the full-time National Guard and State employees of the Department. He's responsible for leading a core group of professionals tasked with preparing and responding to emergency situations within the State of Kansas. This includes guidance and training to 105 county emergency managers and their staffs. Major Tafanelli has worked to ensure security in the State is a top priority. Prior to his appointment as Adjutant General, Major General Tafanelli was assigned as the Assistant Adjutant General. In addition, he served in the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 47th District from 2001 to 2011. Major Tafanelli received his commission from Pittsburg State University, where we were both there recently to commission some officers, and is also an Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, and holds a master's degree from one of the top universities in the country, Kansas State University, and the Army War College. Thank you for being here today, Major General, and I yield back. Chairwoman Stevens. Excellent. Our next witness is Dr. Delong Zuo. Dr. Zuo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering at Texas Tech University. He is also the Technical Director of the wind engineering pillar of the National Wind Institute at Texas Tech University. Dr. Zuo's expertise is in the areas of structural dynamics, wind engineering, and wind hazard mitigation. His current research focuses on the assessment of tornadic loading on buildings, and wind-induced vibration of slender structures, such as long-span bridges and towers of various types. Dr. Zuo is currently the principal investigator of the Wind Hazard and Infrastructure Performance Center, funded by the National Science Foundation, and he also serves as a member of the Strategic Committee of the Network Coordination Office of the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure Program supported by NSF. Our final witness is Mr. Ryan Colker. Mr. Colker is Vice President of Innovation at the International Code Council (ICC), and also serves as the Executive Director of the Alliance for National and Community Resilience, a national coalition working to provide communities with the tools necessary to assess and improve their resilience. Prior to joining ICC, Mr. Colker served as Vice President at the National Institute of Building Sciences, where he led efforts to improve the built environment through the collaboration of public- and private-sector industry stakeholders. At the National Institute of Building Sciences, he directed the Consultative Council, which develops findings and recommendations on behalf of the entire building community. So it looks like we're in for a good one here. As our witnesses should know, you will each have 5 minutes for your spoken testimony. Your written testimony will be included in the record for the hearing. And, when you've each concluded your spoken testimony, we'll begin questions, and we'll do that at the conclusion here. Each Member will have 5 minutes to address the panel, and we're going to start with 5 minutes from Dr. Weaver. TESTIMONY OF DR. SCOTT WEAVER, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION PROGRAM, NIST Dr. Weaver. Chairwoman Johnson, Ranking Member Lucas, Chairwoman Stevens, Chairwoman Fletcher, Ranking Member Baird, Ranking Member Marshall, and Members of the Subcommittees, I am Dr. Scott Weaver, Director for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, or NWIRP, at the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology, known as NIST. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. NWIRP is an inter-agency science and engineering-based program focused on achieving major measurable reductions in losses of life and property from windstorms. Since NWIRP's inception in 2004, we have made notable progress toward efforts to reduce windstorm impacts. This includes significant improvements in hurricane forecasts and increased tornado warning times; advancements in the science of wind mapping to inform engineering-based design standards; improved coordination practices and research support for post-windstorm investigations; and implementation of post-windstorm research- based recommendations into codes, standards, and practices. Despite these achievements, the Nation continues to experience increasing losses of life and property due to these extreme weather events, as evidenced by the devastating tornado outbreaks in 2011 and 2013, and the recent catastrophic hurricane seasons of 2005, 2012, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Windstorms, and associated flooding, are the largest loss- producing natural hazards in the United States. Every State in the country is exposed to windstorm hazards from one or more storm types. During the period from 1980 to 2018, windstorms caused over $1 trillion in economic losses, and over 8,000 fatalities in the U.S. The greatest of these losses are associated with tornadoes and hurricanes. In 2011, six different tornado outbreaks produced a combined damage of $29 billion and 545 fatalities. In a 14-month span from August 2017 to October 2018, five major hurricanes made landfall in the U.S., not including Hurricane Florence, which made landfall as a Category 1 storm measured by wind speed, but which caused catastrophic inland flooding impacts to the Carolinas. The 2017 and 2018 hurricanes caused thousands of fatalities, and comprised approximately 79 percent of the $411 billion total of all extreme weather and climate events over that short period, and future projections indicate that these costs are likely to increase more rapidly than the growth of the economy. The causes underlying these massive and rapidly increasing windstorm losses are many, varied, and complex. Some are related to long-term societal changes, such as the movement of population toward coastal areas of the U.S. Others relate to climate variability and change, and other meteorological factors, such as limited understanding of surface level storm characteristics, their associated hazards, and interactions of these hazards on the built environment. Advances in recent decades in atmospheric science have led to great improvements in forecasting and warning systems for hurricanes, tornadoes, and other windstorms. However, large knowledge gaps remain in aspects of windstorm climatology and hazards near the surface. While great progress has been made in understanding earthquake effects on building, and engineering design to resist those effects, comparatively less progress has been made in engineering for extreme winds and for coastal inundation hazards. Without additional actions to mitigate windstorm hazards, losses due to windstorms will only continue to increase. I want to thank this Committee for its recognition of the necessary role for the Federal Government and other organizations in supporting windstorm impact reduction, and resulting creation of NWIRP to focus on reducing the loss of life and property from windstorms. NIST, as the lead agency, works closely with other NWIRP designated program agencies, FEMA, NOAA, and NSF to implement the program. To address the challenges noted previously, in 2018 NWIRP released its strategic plan, which was developed in concert with stakeholders from across government, academia, and the private sector. Contained within the plan are three overarching long-term strategic goals. They are: Improve the understanding of windstorm processes and hazards; improve the understanding of windstorm impacts on communities; and improve the windstorm resilience of communities nationwide. A signature NIST research activity that is emblematic of these three strategic goals is the current investigation of the effects of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. That study aims to: Better understand how multiple intersecting hazards, such as wind, rainfall, flooding, landslides, and storm surge created the conditions that led to deaths and injuries; evaluate the performance of critical buildings and emergency communication systems; and improve understanding of the impacts to, and recovery of, selected businesses, hospitals, and schools. After the study's completion, NIST will pursue and track implementation of its recommendations in an effort to reduce windstorm impacts nationwide. NWIRP continues to make strides in implementing the strategy put forth in its strategic plan. However, as losses continue to mount, there is much work to be done. I look forward to discussing the NWIRP program with you today, the progress we've made, and challenges and recommendations for the future. I am pleased to answer any questions you may have. Thank you. [The prepared statement of Dr. Weaver follows:] [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] TESTIMONY OF MAJOR GENERAL LEE TAFANELLI, KANSAS ADJUTANT GENERAL, DIRECTOR OF KANSAS HOMELAND SECURITY, AND DIRECTOR OF KANSAS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT General Tafanelli. Thank you, Chairwoman Johnson, Chairwoman Stevens, Chairwoman Fletcher, Ranking Members Lucas, Baird, Marshall, distinguished Members of the Committee, for the opportunity to sit before you today. I'm honored to testify on behalf of Kansas as the Adjutant General, and Director of Kansas' Division of Emergency Management and Kansas Homeland Security. A 2018 study by the National Institute of Building Sciences found that mitigation can save $6 in future disaster cost for every dollar spent. Kansas saves more money on average than any other State using the Federal Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program, as reported by a recent Pew Charitable Trust study. The data analysis showed that Kansas avoided $6.81 in potential disaster recovery costs for every dollar spent. This return on investment is attributed to the emphasis placed on reducing impacts from the two greatest hazards in Kansas, flooding and windstorms. With limited resources to contribute to disaster loss reduction, Kansas invests predominantly in the mitigation of flooding and windstorms. To date, Kansas has implemented approximately $220 million in mitigation projects, netting an estimated $1.5 billion in disaster cost avoidance. Over the past 2 decades Kansas has experienced 37 federally declared Presidential disasters, with over 90 percent of them coming of windstorm damages. With funding primarily received through the Post-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Kansas has completed 235 tornado safe rooms, with nearly 95 percent of those installed in schools. The largest cost burden of mitigation within Kansas is by local governments. The successful completion of the aforementioned school safe rooms was greatly influenced by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in qualified school construction bond programs, which supported the financing of tornado safe rooms in Kansas schools. Kansas approaches all hazard emergency management planning with a whole community approach. Leading mitigation efforts within Kansas is a Kansas Hazard Mitigation Team consisting of local, State, and Federal partners who provide input into the State's mitigation program, plans, and investment strategies. The use of Kansas Hazard Mitigation Team promotes collaboration of varying mitigation programs through all levels of government. This collaborative approach initiated the development and successful implementation of regional mitigation plans. Twelve regional mitigation plans enabled 105 counties to successfully apply for and use Federal mitigation assistance to reduce loss. This planning approach has been identified by FEMA as a best practice due to effectiveness and cost efficiency. Our whole community planning approach is vital to understanding and addressing program mitigation challenges. Kansas is a home rule State, and as such, the responsibility for adoption and enforcement of building codes lies with local jurisdictions. Several cities and county jurisdictions, mostly urban communities, have adopted the International Residential Code and the International Building Code, however there are numerous rural jurisdictions within Kansas without adopted building code. The education and promotion of code adoption remains an ongoing mitigation effort within Kansas, which is why community involvement is of the utmost importance. Collaboration with other State governments is common, and often involves a sharing of program initiatives and best practices. Our regional mitigation planning approach has been explored by other State programs. Kansas is currently examining implementation of a residential safe room program similar to that in Oklahoma. This program would provide rebates for Kansas residents to install qualified safe rooms on private property, further providing the State's windstorm resilience. Collaboration with the Federal Government is primarily through FEMA, which supports all hazards emergency preparedness, and supports mitigation and recovery. Funding provided by Emergency Management Grant Program is critical to supporting Kansas and its disaster preparedness initiatives. Additionally, our mitigation programs completely rely on FEMA hazard mitigation funding. Besides supporting emergency management through funding of preparedness activities and cost- share recovery, FEMA provides assistance largely in the form of planning technical assistance training, response resources, post-disaster assessments. FEMA's Hazus program is a notable technical assistance tool that provides a model for estimating potential losses from earthquakes and floods, increasing hazard awareness and planning. However, the absence of tornado-centric models create a significant planning gap that hinders risk- informed windstorm decisions. Several Federal agencies supporting emergency management efforts through Kansas, including the United States Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among others. The successful implementation of cost-effective mitigation within Kansas is based on local government involvement, Federal funding assistance, and prioritizing projects focused on mitigating against the State's greatest hazards of flooding and windstorms. Efforts undertaken by the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Office supporting our program mitigation approach by allowing data-informed decisionmaking, ultimately improving Kansas' resilience. The Kansas program will remain committed to reducing disaster loss, and are comforted that the Federal Government continues support of these efforts. Thank you again for the opportunity, and I look forward to your questions. [The prepared statement of General Tafanelli follows:] [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] TESTIMONY OF DR. DELONG ZUO, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, NATIONAL WIND INSTITUTE, TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY Dr. Zuo. Good afternoon, Chairwoman Johnson, Ranking Member Lucas, Chairwoman Fletcher, Ranking Member Marshall, Chairwoman Stevens, Ranking Member Baird, and Members of the Subcommittees. I'm an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Texas Tech University. I'm also the Technical Director of the Wind Engineering Pillar of the National Wind Institute at Texas Tech University. I'm very pleased to be here today to address you on behalf of my University. With a student body of 37,000, Texas Tech University's main campus is located in the city of Lubbock, which is one of the fastest-growing communities in the State of Texas. The National Wind Institute at Texas Tech University has its roots following the 1970 Lubbock Tornado. Over the years it has grown into an educational and a research enterprise that supports convergent research in atmospheric measurement and simulation, wind engineering, and energy systems. Today the Institute has more than 40 faculty affiliates from across the University campus, and it maintains a suite of state-of-the-art research facilities. It also hosts a one-of-its-kind Wind Science Engineering Ph.D. program, which trains students, and prepares them to answer today's and tomorrow's challenging questions. With contributions from the National Wind Institute and elsewhere, the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program has enabled many advancements, with the potential to enhance the resilience of communities to wind hazards. Despite the progress, however, severe windstorms remain among the most destructive and most costly natural hazards. As shown by Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, Maria, and the Joplin and Moore tornadoes, windstorms leave behind long trails of destruction, with a large number of fatalities, and traumatic effects that often take communities years to recover from. Further underscoring these challenges are statistics that show losses caused by windstorms have been continuing to grow, without any apparent sign of slowing down. We believe that Congress can consider five non-trivial changes to the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program that will further support its mission to reduce windstorm impacts. First, NWIRP can forge the closer connections between atmospheric science and engineering communities, through support for targeted research campaigns, for the express purpose of obtaining atmospheric measurements for engineering applications. Second, the program can also encourage closer connections to the social science community. That translates atmospheric and engineering research outcomes for social and economic applications. For example, underprivileged communities, that is people who live in mobile homes, are particularly vulnerable to windstorms. However, they're also often the least likely to benefit from advancements in scientific and wind hazard research. Third, the NSF sponsorship of shared use experimental facilities, so that every program can be expanded to support a dedicated experimental facility for tornado hazard research. Such an expansion would build on the success of existing NHERI- sponsored facilities for other types of hazards, who are providing a unique testing platform that contributes to the urgent need associated with the lack of codes and standards for the design of tornado-resistant buildings. Fourth, NSF can improve the rapid response research mechanism that can accommodate unique challenges associated with windstorms. The current mechanism under NSF's existing RAPID (Rapid Response Research) program is largely reactive in nature, and time scale for application and award approval does not lend itself to the important field studies of transient and unpredictable windstorm events. Finally, NWIRP can improve the adoption of contemporary and emerging technologies, such as machine learning, that leverages the enormous volume and diversity of data associated with wind hazards, and additive manufacturing to radically change materials and methods used in the construction industry. In closing, we very much appreciate the longstanding commitment by Congress and the Federal agencies to strengthen the Nation's ability to resist windstorms. Texas Tech University looks forward to continuing our leadership role in research and education that supports this critical mission, as Congress and the agencies seek to improve this critical program. Thank you again for holding this important hearing, and the opportunity to share our perspectives. I look forward to answering your questions. [The prepared statement of Dr. Zuo follows:] [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] TESTIMONY OF MR. RYAN COLKER, VICE PRESIDENT OF INNOVATION, INTERNATIONAL CODE COUNCIL, AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE ALLIANCE FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE Mr. Colker. Chairwoman Johnson, Ranking Member Lucas, Chairwomen Fletcher and Stevens, Ranking Members Marshall and Baird, and Members of the Committee, I'm Ryan Colker, Vice President of Innovation at the International Code Council, and Executive Director of the Alliance for National and Community Resilience, or ANCR. It is my honor to testify on the valuable role of Federal agencies in addressing the Nation's windstorm risks. These Federal efforts frequently support the development, adoption, and enforcement of building codes and other mitigation strategies. The Code Council, with the support and engagement of its 65,000 members from the design, construction, manufacturing, and regulatory sectors, is dedicated to providing safe, sustainable, and resilient buildings and communities. The Code Council develops model building codes, the I-Codes, which are the basis for building regulatory requirements in all 50 States, multiple Federal agencies, and internationally. We also develop standards, including Standard 500 for the design of storm shelters, and Standard 600 for residential construction in high-wind areas. Building codes are a highly cost-effective hazard mitigation measure. The congressionally established National Institute of Building Sciences found that adopting the 2018 International Building Code and International Residential Code, which governed commercial and residential construction and renovations respectively, provided $10 in mitigation benefits against hurricane winds for every $1 invested. Congress and Federal agencies have recognized the benefits of codes as disaster mitigation strategies through the Disaster Recovery Reform Act, bipartisan Budget Act, FEMA's strategic plan, and the National Mitigation Investment Strategy. Federal agencies contribute to the content of the code through the translation of research, to code changes that improve criteria, and subsequent code additions, and risk mapping that helps dictate what criteria should apply where. Agencies also support technical assistance to State and local governments, undertaking code updates. Despite limited funding, NWIRP has made several significant contributions. NWIRP supported FEMA research and publications, led to the development of Standard 500, and the requirement that K through 12 schools, and emergency responder facilities in tornado-prone regions include storm shelters. Notably, there have been no fatalities in properly designed and constructed storm shelters. Most recently, NIST and NOAA have developed a methodology for measuring tornado wind speed, leading to development of tornado risk maps, and new building design procedures, which will ultimately be incorporated into codes and standards. Additional codes and standards updates proposed by the NWIRP agencies have been successful, including the development of new designed wind speed maps that have been incorporated into the latest I-Codes. Following Hurricane Maria, FEMA, NOAA, and NIST collaborated to develop updated local wind maps that supported Puerto Rico's code update, based on the latest edition of the I-Codes. Building off these successes, NWIRP has additional opportunities to help mitigate windstorm risk. Adequate funding, a long-term authorization, and champions in both Congress and the administration are essential. At several NWIRP agencies, funding has lagged significantly below authorized levels, resulting in challenges to the program's effectiveness. For comparison, the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program received over $164 million for program activities in FY19, more than 5 times NWIRP's prior authorized levels, while the annualized losses from windstorms are nearly 10 times those from earthquakes. Additional areas for NWIRP focus include reducing the impacts of windstorms on manufactured housing through formal engagement of HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development), advancing guidance for the evaluation and retrofit of existing buildings, undertaking research to understand and respond to the changing nature of windstorm risks, creating formal linkages between NWIRP and other hazard programs, building the NWIRP brand, strengthening the connections between NWIRP and private sector codes and standards developers, and increasing economic and social science research supporting codes and standards development and adoption, including benefit cost ratios and hazard communication. This is critical, given that only about a third of the 21 States that regularly face tornado risk require tornado shelters in schools consistent with current codes. In addition to codes and standards, Federal research supports broader activities that improve national resilience. ANCR, a cooperative effort of the Code Council, U.S. Resiliency Council, and the Meridian Institute, was born out of the recognition that communities are only as resilient as their weakest link. While building codes are a necessary component of a community's resilience strategy, additional policies and procedures must be in place. ANCR is developing a coordinated set of benchmarks for 19 community functions that influence resilience. ANCR's benchmarks on housing and buildings rely on codes and other existing standards, and NWIRP research, to support its activities. Thank you again for the opportunity to support reauthorization of NWIRP. The Code Council and ANCR will continue to provide communities with the codes, standards, benchmarks, and other tools they need to be safe and resilient. We stand ready to support this Committee, and the NWIRP agencies, in achieving shared goals of better understanding windstorms and assessing and reducing their impacts. Thank you. [The prepared statement of Mr. Colker follows:] [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Chairwoman Stevens. Thank you. At this time we'll begin our round of questions, and the Chair will recognize herself for 5 minutes of questioning. It's in our documentation here that the last approved budget for NWIRP was around $5.7 million for Fiscal Year 2019. Dr. Weaver, can you talk a little bit more about the three pillars of NWIRP, in particular the ways in which you're working with communities beyond just implementing the studies, if at all, particularly around promoting understanding, and some of the adaptation and what goes into that, particularly with those limited resources that you have available? Dr. Weaver. Sure. Well, the NWIRP program, at its core, is an inter-agency coordination program, so obviously---- Chairwoman Stevens. And I was talking about NIST. Dr. Weaver. Yes. So obviously we look to leverage, but we develop the science that goes into standards and codes. So one of the anchors of that would be our post-windstorm investigation. So if you look at either the Joplin tornado recommendations, or that which will come out of our Hurricane Maria investigation, we lean on that scientific research to promulgate that out into the world so that decisionmakers can then take that and balance their priorities in the way that they see fit. Chairwoman Stevens. And is it only buildings that you guys are looking at? Are you looking at other elements of infrastructure, particularly as windstorms become harsher, and we've even seen, in Michigan, new names for these types of storms. Bomb cyclone is one that came up. Even the derechos are newer to the lexicon. I know the Washington, D.C. area was hit with one within the last 10 years. But in particular, you know, you think about being a passenger, or a driver in a vehicle, or someone sitting in a plane that's about to take off, and I don't know if your research abilities or your standards recommendations are able to extend that far? Dr. Weaver. So we do focus--in fact, one of the strengths of NWIRP is that, when we conduct our post-windstorm investigations, NWIRP's authority is much broader than some other authorities that we use at NIST, and so it allows us to look at things that are not just directly related to the building, but may also feed into the building. So distributed infrastructure, waste water systems, electricity. That's one of the hallmarks of our Hurricane Maria investigation, we're looking at an island-wide disaster, and not just what happened in a given building. That's, of course, important, we're looking at that as well, but how the services were disrupted, how the landslides may have blocked transportation infrastructure, leading to people not being able to get to hospitals. So we are looking at things like that, and it's a highly interdisciplinary investigation because of that situation. Chairwoman Stevens. And the warnings become all the more critical and imperative for us, particularly as things might happen quickly, and, you know, heaven forbid you find yourself in one of those circumstances. I will actually never forget driving in a derecho, and getting to a restaurant where, you know, we had branches coming at us, you know, many trees fell, and we walked into the restaurant, no one had any idea what was happening, but, you know, we saw it occur before our eyes. And, Mr. Colker, you know, some of this is what you were just discussing in your testimony, around kind of the need for the awareness about the NWIRP program, and what these standards lead to, particularly as compared to something like the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program that, you know, has a little bit more staying power, and is a little bit more stable, but could you just talk a little bit more about how we can make NWIRP more stable throughout the community? And obviously we're so enthusiastic that it's inter-agency, but any other ideas that you have on that front? Mr. Colker. Yes. I think, certainly, having a long-term authorization. NEHRP is authorized for 5 years, which allows that collaboration, the engagement in the codes and standards development process, building sort of that research agenda over a longer period of time. Certainly funding is key to allowing that collaboration to happen. I think also developing a specific brand for the NWIRP program which would drive, you know, researchers and notoriety for the things that the program is doing, and can be doing into the future. Chairwoman Stevens. Great. Well, I'm going to yield back the remainder of my time, but thank you all so much for your expert testimony and what I think is going to contribute to some good work to come for all of us. So the Chair is now going to recognize my colleague Dr. Baird for 5 minutes of questioning. Mr. Baird. Thank you, Madam Chair. And, Dr. Weaver, I'm going to start with you on the NWIRP, which was created, what, in 2004, and under the Office of Science and Technology Policy? And then it was re-authorized again in 2015, and they put NIST as the lead agency. So I guess my question to you is has this made a difference, for NIST to be the lead agency? Has that worked out well, and has that been successful? Dr. Weaver. Well, I think it has. I mean, obviously there's always more that we could be doing, but I think one of the original issues was that there was rotating leadership in the first incarnation of the legislation, and I think having a home base like NIST has brought some stability to the program. I'll also say that NIST is a non-regulatory agency, so we're a user of a lot of the different products that come out of the other agencies, and I think it strengthens the program by having more of a user base, more of the applied science base from NIST to lead the program. Mr. Baird. Thank you. Then, for all of you panelists, because we have such fantastic expertise here, Purdue University has an award from the National Science Foundation to run the Network Coordination Office for the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure Program, and that network enables researchers to explore and test groundbreaking concepts that protect homes, businesses, and infrastructure lifelines from the impacts of earthquake, wind, and water hazards, and enabling innovations to help prevent natural hazards from becoming societal disasters. So can each of you discuss the importance of having an integrated approach to natural disaster research, and how hazard-specific programs can better work together? So I'll start with you, Doctor---- Dr. Weaver. Sure. So, as I mentioned throughout my testimony, as is shown in our strategic plan, disasters are not just about the hazards themselves. That's certainly an important component. You have a hurricane, without a hurricane, you don't have a disaster, or without a tornado, you don't have a disaster. But really getting to where the rubber meets the road, in terms of conducting experiments on engineering, and how that relates to the meteorological factors, I think NHERI is a really important player in connecting those two fields. And then also bringing in the social science aspect and the other interdisciplinary nature, it's really special in that regard. General Tafanelli. I think two things. Anytime that we can have an integrated approach to any of these type of events, we're going to be better off for that type of integration and close coordination working with other agencies. One of the things, as we pull these things together, even if they're not specific to a certain type of disaster threat that faces a particular part of the Nation, it doesn't mean there aren't lessons to be learned, and there's parts and pieces that can be adapted for local utilization. And we do that with the Hazus program, while it doesn't necessarily give us data specifically for tornadoes, we can use that in other areas. But I think anytime that we can collaborate and integrate those research efforts, it benefits all of us on the ground. Dr. Zuo. I think NEHRI is an entity that really opened a lot of doors for a lot of researchers, and we benefited a lot from that. For example, a lot of people want to do wind-related research, but they just don't have the large facilities like the wind tunnels at Florida and the University of Florida to work on what they want to work on. Now NSF opened this NEHRI Program, that gives everybody access to that. And, also, NEHRI has a cyber infrastructure facility at the University of Houston. You can comb through all the measures you develop, and all the data resulting from all the research. So that gives the community a lot of resource that you can work on. So I think this approach is very critical for the, you know, joint effort and success of a program like NWIRP. And also, as I said just now, the tornado research community right now doesn't have a facility to work on their problems, so if we can also include a tornado research facility in the NEHRI Program, that'll really further help the natural hazard research community. Thank you. Mr. Colker. Codes are built to address all the hazards a community faces, and so really understanding all of the opportunities to address multiple risks through various different opportunities, and capture multiple benefits, is certainly of value to the code, and the cost-effectiveness of bringing these measures to the public. Mr. Baird. Thank you, thank all of you, and I yield back my time. Chairwoman Stevens. Yes. Chair recognizes Chair Fletcher for 5 minutes of questioning. Chairwoman Fletcher. Thank you very much. Thank you all for your testimony, for being here today. I want to cover two topics with my 5 minutes, and I'm going to put some questions out to all of you to answer, or weigh in on as you choose. But first I want to talk about the funding and reauthorization of NWIRP. Dr. Weaver, you talked in your statement about the cost of inaction, and, Mr. Colker, you also talked about the appropriations cycle, and the challenges faced with a 5 year appropriations cycle for NWIRP, and so I guess one of my questions is, as we think about how to have this program realize its full potential, what about the way that we're currently approaching it--what opportunities are we missing by allowing the program to lapse, in terms of congressional authorization? What are the things we're missing? Anyone who wants to weigh in on it. Mr. Colker, if you want to go first? Mr. Colker. I can certainly start. I think one of the important things to recognize is the code cycle runs on a 3- year update process, and so it takes some planning to be able to translate the research that's coming out of academia and other partners into code change proposals, sort of institutionalizing those proposals to the folks that participate in the code development process, getting those code change proposals adopted, and then ultimately engaging State and local governments in updating their code. So, you know, that is certainly a multi-year process, and if there's not funding or authorization in place, you miss gaps within that process, and that continuity can't continue. Chairwoman Fletcher. Thank you, that's helpful. Does anyone want to weigh in on missed opportunities or gaps that you see because of the funding challenges and the authorization cycle? OK. I will move on to my other topic, which will definitely take some time for everyone, which is something we talk about a lot on this Committee, as we're tackling various challenges that we face, is talking about incorporating issues relating to climate change into NWIRP. So I think in your testimony, again, Mr. Colker, you suggested that building codes need to better reflect future forecasts of storm intensity, something we know a lot about in my district, that there's an increasing intensity, frequency, and impact of some of these storms that we're seeing. So most of the built environment now is based on what we know from the past, and continuing in this model may not be sufficient to protect what we have built and what we're doing going into the future as we see the effects of climate change. How can we better integrate what we know now about climate change, and our views of the increasing threats of severe weather in various forms into engineering our future buildings for resilience? Mr. Colker. I can certainly start. The Code Council, and several other standards developers, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, have started sort of down that road of exploring, you know, what do codes and standards look like to address future risk. We've also started conversations with our code development colleagues in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to start to address these risks. I think the important opportunity within the NWIRP agencies is actually bringing some of the climate science expertise that's within NOAA, and some of the research organizations, with the building science community that's represented by NIST, and FEMA, and other organizations to figure out sort of what is that basis for future codes that recognize those changing risks. Chairwoman Fletcher. All right. Does anyone else want to weigh in? Dr. Zuo? Dr. Zuo. Yes, I want to add that probably it will take the atmospheric science community and the--community to work--to look at problems like these. These are large-scale problems. I don't think either one of these can solve the problem. Thank you. Chairwoman Fletcher. Thank you. Dr. Weaver? Dr. Weaver. Yes, just one comment. I mean, the U.S. Global Change Research Program mentions this in their quadrennial report, but much of the research, as my two other colleagues mentioned, you have two different camps, and so trying to integrate the atmospheric science and the engineering world would go a long way toward being able to look at that problem. One kind of stops where the other one doesn't pick up, and they're not connected as well as they could be. Chairwoman Fletcher. Thank you. That's helpful. Well, with that, Madam Chair, I will yield back the balance of my time. Thank you all very much. Chairwoman Stevens. And now the Chair recognizes Ranking Member Marshall---- Mr. Marshall. All right. Chairwoman Stevens [continuing]. For questions. Yes. Mr. Marshall. Thank you, Chairwoman. I'll start with Major General Tafanelli. I want to talk a little bit about the mitigation efforts in Kansas, what we've done. Here, on this Committee, we oversee work with NOAA and the National Weather Service. What type of collaboration projects have you done with them, with the State Emergency Operations Center, if any? What's working? What do you want to brag about? We're doing something right there, it sounds like. General Tafanelli. Congressman Marshall, I will tell you that the biggest thing that we see from the partnerships that we didn't see previously is now anytime we have activated the State Emergency Operations Center, we have representatives from the National Weather Service in there, and the tools that they're able to provide, the insights that they're able to provide decisionmakers as we look to position resources, make informed decisions about storm track, severity, and those things, is really invaluable. When we look at, particularly from a NOAA perspective, the ability that they can bring from a data perspective, really kind of helps us more on the planning side of what we do, because they have all of the historical records in that data that can then help us as we work with our mitigation plans, and when work with other planning efforts across the State. Mr. Marshall. Is there anything we can do to push or nudge them along to be more helpful to you all? Any suggestions? General Tafanelli. You know, I would say--I think one of the things that we really see is that is getting the people with the right information in the room, and sometimes, as we go higher up in the food chain, if you will, at the Federal level, or with some of the other entities that are out there, just knowing what capabilities that they're able to bring to the table really allows us a better opportunity to make informed decisions, and really do the kinds of things that we need to do to protect the public, and have the necessary response mechanisms in place. Mr. Marshall. OK. Let's talk about the building codes that you mentioned a little bit, General Tafanelli, as well. You know, as I think about growing up in Kansas, it would be unusual to not have a thunderstorm with an 80-mile an hour wind at least once a year hit your community. And, again, growing up we'd be listening to the radio, and I'd hear a tornado hitting the southwest side of Wichita, and my dad saying, ``my gosh, that's horrible. Well, Dad, how come? Well, that's where all the trailer homes are.'' You know, are we getting any better? Are we safer today, or is that still a big concern? What are rural communities doing, along with urban communities, to address some of those issues, and any thoughts on how we can improve that situation? General Tafanelli. I would say that there's more of an awareness now within our communities and our citizenry out there, and some of the things that we have seen--with the example of mobile home parks, while it may not be practical for individuals to have storm shelters at each individual trailer site---- Mr. Marshall. Right. General Tafanelli [continuing]. Many of those now do have, within mobile home parks, storm shelters that are in place for that community to be able to get to. When you couple that with the ability of systems today to be more predictable, in terms of forecasting where storms are going to be at particular times, it gives more people an advantage to take the necessary precautions to get to a site where they do have some secure cover over them in the event of that storm. Some of the things that we've done internally, from a rural perspective, has been really our safe room program, and we've put in a number of safe rooms at schools, in large part because approximately 20 to 25 percent of the community is in a school setting at some point in the day, whether that's in the classrooms, or whether that's at school events where the community may be involved, and that's especially important in the rural parts of Kansas. So one of those things is, again, taking that approach is why we really have invested in the safe room program. One of the other programs that we've done on a community basis is in Dodge City, Kansas, and we were able to do a monolithic dome structure that is capable of housing almost 4,000 individuals. Now, they use it for other purposes, but there again, that's more of a community-based approach to providing those kind of safe structures. Mr. Marshall. OK. Thank you so much, and I yield back. Chairwoman Stevens. Thank you. And, at this time, the Chair recognizes Congresswoman Bonamici for 5 minutes of questioning. Ms. Bonamici. Thank you to the Chairs and Ranking Members, but thank you especially to the witnesses for being here, and for your expertise. You know, across the country we are seeing more frequent and intense extreme weather and climate-related events. Last week we had what was referred to as a bomb cyclone in the Pacific Northwest. It hit the Pacific Coast. According to the National Weather Service, the storm generated sustained winds of 85 miles an hour, with gusts up to 106 miles per hour on the southern Oregon coast. It shut down a major highway in both directions. Travelers were stranded in their cars. Twenty- thousand people were without power. That was just last week. And we know today's infrastructure and building standards do not take future climate trends into account, so I'm glad we're having this conversation today. We know that current levels of infrastructure investment in this country are not enough to respond to these threats. According to the Fourth National Climate Assessment, read from the text, ``extreme weather events are expected to increasingly disrupt our Nation's energy and transportation systems, threatening more frequent and longer lasting power outages, fuel shortages, and service disruptions.'' So we know we need to do more to help our communities access information and data. They need to prepare for extreme weather events, including windstorms. And we know from the testimony that these investments make sense. They save lives and property. Dr. Weaver, you mentioned in your testimony that one of the goals of NWIRP is to improve the understanding of windstorms on communities, and I have two questions about that. First, how does NWIRP engage with local and regional stakeholders to determine where to direct future scientific research efforts, and then second, how do the four program agencies under NWIRP break down their research to a usable application level for localities? Dr. Weaver. Sure. Thank you for the question, Congresswoman. So, when we were developing the NWIRP strategic plan, this was a very large effort--we conducted outreach and solicited public comment, so we received comments from a range of different organizations, so that's one way that we tried to get the advice from stakeholders at the local or State levels. Our engineers also sit on committees of the American Society for Civil Engineers, which is a standards development organization that develops the standards that protect communities across the country. In the original reauthorization for this legislation, the National Advisory Committee for Windstorm Impact Reduction had broad representation from across different communities, and so that's several ways that we bring in local and State stakeholders into helping us decide what the research priority should be. Ms. Bonamici. How do you make it usable for local governments and localities? Dr. Weaver. So much of what we do is at the national level, and so trying to provide the best available science to inform engineering standards, and then that can be useful to local decisionmakers, where they have to balance different priorities. Ms. Bonamici. Thank you. I'm going to move on to another question. Dr. Zuo and Mr. Colker, in your testimony, you each reference the disproportionate effects of windstorms on low- income communities, and especially residents in manufactured homes, and I know the Major General also mentioned that. Everyone should have a roof over their head, and with the challenges of affordable housing, manufactured homes often provide millions of Americans with a vital source of housing, but those are oftentimes families with low incomes, or in rural areas. There are more than 12,000 manufactured homes in the district I'm honored to represent in northwest Oregon, and I've heard from many residents of those communities about the challenges they already face. So, Dr. Zuo and Mr. Colker, would the Department of Housing and Urban Development's participation in NWIRP strengthen the Federal response to this, or socioeconomic consequences of windstorms, and what role could HUD play as a program agency under NWIRP? Mr. Colker, I know you mentioned it specifically in your testimony. Mr. Colker. Sure, absolutely. I think one of the challenges with manufactured housing is that it's not developed through the international code---- Ms. Bonamici. Right. Mr. Colker [continuing]. Process, but rather the requirements are developed through a HUD committee, which ultimately, you know, HUD decides what's incorporated into those standards. And so, certainly, having a directed engagement of HUD in the NWIRP program, and specifically how to cost-effectively apply the research outcomes from NWIRP into the HUD code would be incredibly---- Ms. Bonamici. Yes. I'm also out of time. Dr. Zuo, do you agree with that, it'd be helpful to have that input? Dr. Zuo. I agree with that, and I will also say there probably should be dedicated resources for that program. Ms. Bonamici. Thank you very much. And I know a lot of the manufactured homes are older as well, which creates additional challenges. And I yield back any time. Thank you, Madam Chair. Chairwoman Stevens. Now recognize Ranking Member Lucas for 5 minutes of questioning. Mr. Lucas. Thank you, Madam Chair. General, I couldn't help but note you mentioned Kansas examining the implementation of a residential safe room program very similar to what we're doing in Oklahoma. And with, in an average year, 80 deaths, 1,500 injuries, it would seem that that's a critically important one, and I bring that up for a couple reasons. One, my understanding is there's not been a single reported failure of a safe room, if it was constructed to FEMA's criteria. That's pretty impressive. I also note that back in 1999, along with Congressman J.C. Watts, I represented part of South Oklahoma City. He represented Moore, I represented part of Del City also. But we had an F5 roll through, some estimates 300 mile an hour winds, and the path was such--I've seen tornadoes in Oklahoma that were destructive, but this one literally not only picked the asphalt up from the streets, it pulled all the grass out of the ground. But when we flew the path afterwards, and President Clinton came down at the time, the amazing thing to me was this string of little concrete boxes in the path that survived. Touch for a moment, if you would, on the importance of collaborating with other States in these kind of programs, and, if you would, my final point--and, of course, I'm very proud of NOAA, and the National Weather Service's facilities at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, discuss with us for a moment, whether you have a safe room or not, the difference that the last 2 decades have made, where we've gone from an average of 7 minutes warning to 14 minutes warning. If you'd touch on that too? General Tafanelli. Ranking Member Lucas, thank you for the question. I too have seen far too many tornadoes, and I am always amazed at what Mother Nature can do, with regards to what it will take out, and what it will leave, and just the overall destructive damage. From a collaboration perspective, what we have found, working with Oklahoma, Ohio, and a number of other States, is that, looking at their programs, it doesn't mean that we'll actually implement it the same way, because while each State, each region, has its own certain dynamics that it must kind of work through, but what we found is there's always a willingness to share that information between the State Hazard Mitigation Officers, and even at my level, about how we can prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters in a better manner. With respect to what we do with the National Weather Service, and--really comes out of the Storm Prediction Center, going back a number of years being involved in this field, what I am amazed with is the precise nature at which we can provide advance warning that didn't exist 10 years ago, 20 years, 30 years ago. And I can't tell you or quantify the lives saved because of that advance warning, and it really is--we stress a lot at the local level about everybody has a role to play, so individual citizens need to be prepared. They need to have a plan in the event of emergency. We talked to them about tuning in to their local weather channel during times of significant weather to be apprised. They can log in their own street address so that they're notified of when a particular storm track may hit their area so that they can take the necessary precautions. Those things didn't exist before, and so I think that, as technology continues to get better, that notification, and the benefit that that has, will continue to increase. But I've also noticed, on the other side, that there's some hesitance in individuals because they'll look at that map and say, well, it's not exactly over my house, it's a half a mile away. Or, living in Oklahoma or Kansas, the number of individuals that will go out and stand on their porch, or on a deck, and look to see where the tornado's at. You know, I'm constantly reminded about those things, that sometimes if you've seen one tornado, you probably don't want to stand and see the second done. Mr. Lucas. The often used description at home is when you hear the freight train coming down the tracks, it's on you, but when you hear the freight train, it's too late. That 14 minutes means the difference between getting your children, your dog, your spouse, your neighbors into that concrete box with you, but, again, based on history, if you build your safe room to standards, you're going to survive, right, General? If you're in that safe room. General Tafanelli. That is exactly correct. I don't know the statistic of anybody that's been pulled out of a safe room dead. Mr. Lucas. Point made. Thank you, General. Yield back. Chairwoman Stevens. The Chair now recognizes Mr. Beyer for 5 minutes of questioning. Mr. Beyer. Madam Chair, thank you very much, and thank you all for being with us. To follow up on the Ranking Member's 14- minute comment, Dr. Weaver, you wrote and talked about how-- that right now we're depending--that we want NIST to encourage a spatially resolved real-time basis to supplement the currently deployed official binary warn/no warn system, and moving from a teletype deterministic watch warning to a high- resolution probabilistic hazard information spanning period from days, to within minutes. There seem to be, you know, really sort of major shifts from what will it take us, in terms of the warning time. If we're 14 minutes now on average, does moving from binary system to something that's spatially resolved, from teletype to something that's high resolution probabilistic, are these, like, quantum leaps, in terms of warnings, for us? Dr. Weaver. Well, as my colleague just discussed, I think they are. What you're referencing is support for a program out of NOAA called FACETS. It's Forecasting A Continuum of Environmental Threats. So part of the support for that sprung up out of our Joplin tornado investigation. So, as I mentioned at the outset of my testimony, NWIRP is, at its core, a coordination program, and so, when we initiated that investigation, we invited a team member from NOAA to be on the team, and, as such, they played a role in creating the recommendations. And so one of the 16 recommendations out of that study was to develop technology for real time spatially tornado threat information. Now, the National Weather Service and NOAA were already engaged in that, but this investigation led to further support for that. Mr. Beyer. Great. Thank you. General Tafanelli, I'm from Virginia, I know you were in the legislature in Kansas, so you understand local lawmaking really well. We're a Dillon State, which means local governments can't do anything the General Assembly doesn't specifically give them the ability to do. I know and understand that Kansas is a home rule State, so you have this issue where numerous rural jurisdictions don't have adopted building codes. How do you get them to do that when there's not a State mandate? General Tafanelli. Congressman, that's a great question. If I could've solved that, we wouldn't have some of those issues. What I would tell you is that I think what we do is provide information to those community leaders, to those county elected officials, so that they can see that data, and then they can make an informed decision for themselves, with respect to those adoptions of particular building codes. Mr. Beyer. OK. I know most of our local jurisdictions in Virginia would rather be home rule, but no legislature's going to let that happen. Dr. Weaver again, I'd never seen the phrase ephemeral data before. I had to look it up. How long does that typically last, this transitory data that NSF has the plan to investigate? Dr. Weaver. I'm sorry, I'm not sure I'm understanding your question. Mr. Beyer. Well, you talked about the NWIRP coordination, including the NSF investment in 34 rapid response projects---- Dr. Weaver. Sure. Mr. Beyer [continuing]. On ephemeral data. Dr. Weaver. Yes. So those projects are integral to post- windstorm investigation. This is a situation where, when you have a disaster, oftentimes data starts to get lost. Things start to get picked up and cleaned up, and so these rapid proposals that NSF funds are very quick grants for university researchers to be able to go out and do reconnaissance missions as quickly as possible after the disaster strikes, and so the information that they gather is critical to us understanding how the disaster unfolded, the impacts, and so the data that they provide are instrumental to that---- Mr. Beyer. Is this data that lasts a couple of days, or a couple of weeks? Dr. Weaver. No, they store it for the most part on something called Design Safe. And, actually, NIST does some wind mapping work where we store data on that entity, and folks can use that to correlate the disaster reconnaissance missions that they're doing, the things they're seeing with our wind mapping data. Mr. Beyer. OK. Dr. Zuo, you talked about the Enhanced Fujita Scale. When almost all these tornadoes occur east of the Rocky Mountains, why did it get named after a Japanese scientist? Dr. Zuo. Because Dr. Fujita was working at the University of Chicago, and he was very instrumental in developing the origin of Fujita scaled based on the damage to assess the wind speed. So his name got carried over when Texas Tech University developed the Enhanced Fujita Scale, because he's the first one. Thank you. Mr. Beyer. As someone born abroad, and then comes here to do science, he probably won a Nobel Prize too, right? Dr. Zuo. Unfortunately he didn't win a Nobel Prize, but he is very famous in this area. Mr. Beyer. Yes. OK. Yes. Thank you very much. Madam Chair, I yield back. Chairwoman Stevens. Thank you. I would not recognize Mr. Babin for 5 minutes of questioning. Mr. Babin. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, witnesses, for being here with your valuable insight and experience. Dr. Zuo, I'm always glad to hear talk about scientific advances taking place in the State of Texas, especially when it comes to mitigating weather damage after Hurricane Harvey, which greatly impacted my district out of Houston, between Houston and Louisiana, with 60 inches of rain. As you mentioned, the National Wind Institute at Texas Tech University, where you are, supports research in atmospheric measurement and simulation, wind engineering, and energy systems. Could you discuss how the institute has collaborated with other academic institutions, especially those in the Tornado Alley region, along with Federal and industry partners on wind science research? Dr. Zuo. Thank you very much, Congressman. This is a very good question. Texas Tech University does collaborate a lot with other institutions. For example, yesterday a researcher from University of Oklahoma National Weather Center was on campus to talk about their program, and explore how the National Wind Institute and the National Weather Center can work closer together to try to understand the storms. And we also have a joint wind engineering and science program with Florida International University, so it's under the National Science Foundation's Industry-University Cooperative Research Program. We work with industry to try to come up with solutions that can directly be applied by the industry patenters. So these are examples that we do---- Mr. Babin. Excellent. Dr. Zuo [continuing]. Work with some other centers. Thank you. Mr. Babin. Excellent. I was also impressed to learn that the EF Tornado Scale, the most accurate rating for tornadoes, and what we see printed in the news, was developed in 2007 at Texas Tech University, in collaboration with agencies and dozens of expert meteorologists. That's obviously a historical achievement that the Institute should be very proud of. Looking forward, what is the next big breakthrough in either atmospheric science or wind engineering, and, however ambitious it might be, what emerging idea do you get excited about in the future? Dr. Zuo. Rating a tornado is a very complex problem. Right now everything is based on the damage, but every storm is different. Different storms can give you the same damage, especially in tornadoes, because tornadoes vary in size. Sometimes you have two tornadoes together. This structure can cause different damages. The EF Scale, as you said, was developed in 2007, and much of it is based on understanding of the straight line wind, like the wind we experience every---- Mr. Babin. Right. Dr. Zuo [continuing]. Day, but not tornadoes. So right now people are able to simulate tornadoes in tornado simulators, like the one that we have at Texas Tech University. And they're also able to simulate tornadoes using numerical approaches, so understanding from these kind of studies can make the reading of tornadoes much more accurate. Mr. Babin. Aren't there instances and witnesses who have seen multiple vortices inside of a big F1 or F3 or F4 tornado? Is that not true? Dr. Zuo. That is true. Sometimes you---- Mr. Babin. Yes. Dr. Zuo [continuing]. Do see multiple tornadoes within one small---- Mr. Babin. Yes. Dr. Zuo [continuing]. Area. Mr. Babin. Yes. Very strange. You mentioned two large wind tunnels that researchers have access to at the University of Florida and also Florida International University. I can safely assume those are more focused on hurricane wind hazards. What's the difference in hurricane hazard research and tornado hazard research, and is data from those experimental facilities useful for tornado research as well? Dr. Zuo. Thank you, Congressman Babin, that's a very good question. Mr. Babin. Yes, sir. Dr. Zuo. Actually, those facilities, as you said, are more suited for hurricanes, and, like cold fronts also. It's not for tornadoes, because tornadoes is a small-scale, swirling flow. It's not a straight line flow. So it changes the atmospheric pressure differently than hurricanes, and some other wind. So the data produced by those facilities can be used as a reference for the study of tornadoes, but not directly for the study of tornadoes. Mr. Babin. I've got you. Very interesting. The part of Texas that I represent, we have our share of tornadoes, but we're not in Tornado Alley, of course. We have the double benefit, or disadvantage, I should say, of hurricanes and tornadoes in our part of the State. So thank you very much, and I appreciate every one of you, and I'll yield back, Madam Chair. Chairwoman Stevens. And now Mr. Tonko for 5 minutes of questioning. Mr. Tonko. Thank you, Chairwoman Stevens, to you and Chairwoman Fletcher. Thank you for co-chairing what is a hearing on a very important topic, and thank you to the experts at the table for sharing your thoughts. New York has had a number of devastating natural disasters in recent years, including devastation from Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee. In New York's 20th District, my home district, we used to talk about storms that came once every 100 or every 500 years. This type of talk is no more with devastating weather events happening time and time again. The nomenclature has been proven totally off base. My hope is that the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program will help better protect and prepare our communities. And so, to both Dr. Weaver and Mr. Colker, you both discussed how property damage can be abated by improved building code. Can you tell us how the Impact Reduction Program agencies have worked together with the model building code community to develop newer building codes? Dr. Weaver. Sure. Thank you for the question, Congressman. So as I mentioned previously when we conduct our post-windstorm investigations, and I'm going to use the Joplin tornado as an example, but we also do hurricanes as well, out of the recommendations come some of the recommendations are for scientific improvements. In particular, with respect to that investigation, one of the recommendations was to improve or to develop tornado wind mapping to facilitate a design for tornado--for structures. So that's the first ever of its kind, and so right now what we're trying to do is the science was developed to develop the wind maps for tornado design, first ever, and now our engineers are working with standards development organizations to get those implemented, for instance, into the American Society of Civil Engineers, into their 2022 update. It's a consensus process, so it's not something that will definitely occur, but we are working to implement that recommendation. So that would be an example. Mr. Tonko. OK. Thank you. And, Mr. Colker, do you have anything that you want to add to that? Mr. Colker. Sure. The success of storm shelter implementation, I think, is one of those key areas that we can point to. So FEMA work on developing sort of the pre- requirements for storm shelters actually transitioned into Standard 500, which was then incorporated into the International Building Code, and International Residential Code, which is then applied at the State and local level. In addition to just the standard itself, the NWIRP agencies and others work to get the requirement that storm shelters be in schools and emergency response facilities in vulnerable areas. And so, even taking that one step further, providing that safety to folks within communities. And, actually, New York is one of those communities that requires storm shelters within schools. Mr. Tonko. Thank you. And, in regard to the improvement of building codes, what research would you cite, if any, is the most critical to get done right now? Is there any impact that you think needs to be further researched that will provide protection out there? Mr. Colker. I mean, certainly the work that Dr. Weaver mentioned around tornado-specific design standards and risk maps I think would be incredibly valuable. Addressing the challenges of future risk, and how to incorporate those into building codes, is another essential area. And then I think also really understanding the interface of tornadoes and wind events in urban areas, I think, specifically would be helpful as well. Mr. Tonko. And for anyone on the panel, strong and moderate building codes are generally cited as the most effective tool for limiting the impact of a natural disaster, and Mr. Colker mentions in his statement that the Code Council recently announced an initiative with code development organizations from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. So how do model building codes in the United States compare to building codes in these other countries? Mr. Colker. I can certainly start. I mean, I think the biggest difference is actually the process that we use here in the United States. It's a consensus-based process, rather than a governmental-driven process, which many of these other countries have. In the developed world, I think we're generally comparable if we look sort of holistically across the codes. Certainly in, you know, in particular hazard areas, some, you know, countries may be a little more sophisticated, but I think overall we're probably generally about consistent with those more developed countries. Mr. Tonko. Any others that wanted to respond to that, or-- if not, I appreciate your response to my questions, and with that, yield back, Madam Chair. Chairwoman Stevens. Well, thank you all. And before we bring the hearing to a close, we certainly want to recognize our witnesses again for your expertise and your time. This is a really terrific hearing, and certainly explains a little bit more about the complexities and difficulties of navigating within the built environment, and the costs that are incurred, but also the opportunities before us. So we're all better off because we got to spend time with each of you today. Our record's going to remain open for 2 additional weeks for additional statements from Members, or for questions that they may have of the witnesses. And, at this time, our witnesses are excused, and our hearing is now adjourned. [Whereupon, at 4:10 p.m., the Subcommittees were adjourned.] Appendix I ---------- Answers to Post-Hearing Questions Answers to Post-Hearing Questions Responses by Dr. Scott Weaver [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Responses by Major General Lee Tafanelli [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Responses by Dr. Delong Zuo [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Responses by Mr. Ryan Colker [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Appendix II ---------- Additional Material for the RecordLetters submitted by Representative Haley Stevens [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8482.055 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8482.056 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8482.057 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8482.058