[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:]
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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:]
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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:]
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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
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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
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Additional Material for the Record
Letters submitted by Representative Haley Stevens
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