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Washington, D.C. – Recognizing the diligent work of the National Hurricane Center, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) today offered and passed House Resolution 387, acknowledging the Center’s accomplishments and lifesaving forecasting services. The Resolution also highlights Hurricane Preparedness Week, which begins on May 24, and lasts through May 30, 2009. Hurricane season in the Atlantic and Central Pacific Oceans begins on June 1st and lasts for 6 months.
“The goal of Hurricane Preparedness Week is to inform the public about hurricane hazards and provide knowledge that can be used to take action,” Diaz-Balart said. “We must be ready. This information can be used to save lives and protect your home and property.”
Diaz-Balart continued, “Although the Federal government plays a critical role before, during, and after a storm threatens land, disaster readiness should not solely lie on the shoulders of government. I hope that residents all along the coasts will use this week as a reminder that they, too, must prepare themselves. History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters.”
The House today also passed a H.R. 2020, the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Act of 2009, a bill cosponsored by Science and Technology Committee Ranking Member Ralph Hall (R-TX). The NITRD program provides the primary mechanism by which the federal government coordinates this nation’s more than 3 billion dollars of unclassified networking and information technology (NIT) research and development (R&D) investments.
The NITRD program helps to coordinate federal agency investments in areas such as networking, computing, software, and cybersecurity. These technologies have changed greatly since the beginning of this program. H.R. 2020 strengthens and improves the NITRD program to reflect these advances and help prepare us for future innovative opportunities in NIT.
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