Sen. Blackburn visits McNairy Co. following deadly storms, introduces TORNADO Act

MCNAIRY CO., Tenn. (WMC) - Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was in McNairy County Monday touring damage from the March 31 tornado that took the lives of nine people in the county.

The visit comes as she and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) reintroduced the Tornado Observation Research Notification and Deployment to Operations (TORNADO) Act to improve the forecasting and understanding of tornadoes and other hazardous weather.

The full text of the bill can be read here.

“Earlier this year, severe weather and tornadoes took over a dozen precious Tennessee lives and disrupted thousands of livelihoods,” said Senator Blackburn. “This bipartisan legislation would provide a better understanding of forecasting and communication before and during hazardous weather so that we can improve warning time and help keep people safe.”

The goal of the bill would be to require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to implement new technology and procedures that could help increase the lead times provided to the public in advance of extreme weather events.

Senator Blackburn spoke with officials in the McNairy County FEMA Disaster Recovery Center.(U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn's Office)

Among other provisions, the TORNADO Act would:

Require NOAA to prepare and submit an action plan for the national implementation of high-resolution probabilistic guidance for tornado forecasting and prediction.
Encourage NOAA to evaluate the current tornado rating system and make updates.
Require NOAA to coordinate with appropriate entities when conducting post-storm assessments to optimize data collection, sharing, and integration.

“Even when tornadoes are well-forecasted, warnings do not always provide enough lead time to ensure the public can respond or seek appropriate shelter. The federal government has a vested interest in making sure Americans have as much notice as possible of severe weather,” Senator Wicker said. “The TORNADO Act would improve the forecasting and understanding of these natural disasters so we can prevent future loss of life and property.”

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