![]() Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, hosted U.S. Roger Wicker’s office.The following is a cross-post from the official website of the Honorable U.S. Note: This item is the weekly “Wicker Report,” provided by Sen. This legislation and FEMA aid are two steps along that journey. Stories like these exemplify the tradition of goodwill that has long characterized our state.Īfter the debris is cleared, the camera crews have left, and the rebuilding phase has begun, we will continue to walk alongside our neighbors. Residents of Natchez filled an 18-wheeler with supplies for the Rolling Fork community, and the senior class at Gulfport’s West Harrison High School led a drive that brought in over 1,000 donations of clothes, toiletries, canned goods, and more. I am proud to say volunteers statewide have rallied to support their fellow Mississippians. Goodyear has pledged to pay employees while the tornado-damaged Cooper Tire plant in Tupelo is repaired. Amory’s Zachariah Smith, an American Idol favorite, filmed a video for nationwide broadcast highlighting how his town is coming together after the storm. Good Morning America host and Pass Christian native Robin Roberts held a live broadcast in Rolling Fork to showcase recovery efforts. I have also been encouraged to see the continued attention our state is receiving. These funds would bolster the valiant work of local and state governments and volunteer organizations on the ground. This week, the entire Mississippi congressional delegation sent a letter to President Biden asking him to grant Governor Reeves’s request for a 30-day extension on FEMA’s 100 percent cost share aid. ![]() When I traveled across the state to survey the damage from last month’s storms, I promised Mississippians we would be in this together for the long haul. I will continue working to secure support for this legislation and press for a vote in the Senate Commerce Committee without delay. Other senators see the value in the TORNADO Act, and nine have already backed it. These changes will help raise the quality and speed of our tornado alerts. It would also require NOAA to improve its post-storm assessments to increase our understanding of the signs that precede bad weather. The TORNADO Act I introduced would direct NOAA to update their models and use the full resources of today’s technological capabilities to improve warning systems. When NOAA spots a tornado, it sends warning signals to areas in the storm’s path. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use a combination of radar and supercomputer models to predict and detect storms. ![]() I applaud the storm chaser who supplemented the alarms by driving the streets of the town warning citizens to seek shelter. The EF-4 tornado hit well after dark, and residents reportedly had difficulty hearing the sirens. This was the case when tragedy struck in Rolling Fork. Every second is an opportunity to seek shelter, which is especially important when storms come at night. Minutes matter when a tornado is on the way. Legislation Would Help Increase Storm-Warning Time As a part of the government’s long-term response to these events, I have reintroduced legislation that would improve tornado forecasting and warning systems in an effort to save lives. Though the road to recovery will be long, I am heartened to see the resilience of our affected communities. Violent and deadly storms tore swaths of destruction on back-to-back weekends, resulting in disaster declarations for 11 of our counties. As accustomed as we Mississippians are to dealing with tornado damage, the past several weeks have been especially difficult.
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