Polk Times

Congressman Scott Franklin and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz have spearheaded a bipartisan initiative to secure funding for modernizing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) hurricane hunter aircraft fleet. They, along with 11 other Florida representatives, have written to Congress advocating for this cause.

Franklin highlighted the importance of NOAA's fleet, stating, "NOAA’s hurricane hunter fleet is critical to delivering real-time data to improve the accuracy of forecasts and inform emergency management efforts." He emphasized his personal experience during Hurricane Milton aboard NOAA 42, underscoring the necessity of updating the aging planes.

Wasserman Schultz echoed these sentiments: "With increasingly severe hurricane seasons, communities across the nation are relying more than ever on NOAA’s life-saving storm tracking and forecasting capabilities." She stressed that investing in new aircraft would help protect lives and property from extreme weather threats.

The proposed funding aims to support NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations in completing two new hurricane hunter planes under construction and acquiring a third. This initiative is crucial for maintaining robust forecasting capabilities as existing WP-3D Orion planes approach retirement in 2030.

The legislators argue that modernizing NOAA's fleet is vital not only for hurricanes but also for improving water resource planning, fire weather prediction, and drought assessments. Recent storms like Helene and Milton highlight the growing need for enhanced capabilities to manage escalating weather threats.