Also Voted Against $106M in Hurricane Isaac Recovery Funds for La.
BATON ROUGE — As the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season begins this Saturday with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicting an active to extremely active hurricane season with 13 to 20 named storms, Bill Cassidy’s clueless votes against funding for hurricane forecasting tools and Hurricane Isaac recovery funds highlight how he has continuously voted against Louisiana.
After $80 billion in damages from the devastating 2012 hurricane season, Congress decided to invest in better forecasting tools to help mitigate damages and prevent loss of life. However, Bill Cassidy voted against these critical investments.
The former and current directors of the National Weather Service called the funding for improved hurricane forecasting equipment — which Bill Cassidy voted against — “a breakthrough moment” and “a game changer.” The new infrastructure will give the NWS the computing power it needs to better track and protect the United States from severe weather. Louis Uccellini, the current director of the NWS, called it “the biggest increase in operational capacity that we’ve ever had.”
Among the tools Bill Cassidy voted against in January are:
-
$25 million to improve hurricane forecasting equipment and infrastructure;
-
$106 million in relief for Louisiana communities hit by Hurricane Isaac;
-
$111 million to mitigate against a 17-to-53-month gap while replacing an old weather satellite;
-
$13 million to accelerate the National Weather Service’s state-of-the-art weather satellite system;
-
$44.5 million for repairs and upgrades to NOAA Hurricane Hunter Craft, which NOAA has said would improve hurricane forecasts by 10 to 15 percent; and
-
$8.5 million to weather forecasting equipment and supercomputer infrastructure.
“Bill Cassidy’s idea of preparing for this hurricane season is to vote against funding the critical tools we need to accurately predict when and where storms will hit. As everyone who lives along the Gulf Coast knows, more advance warning of storms and better forecasting allows local and state leaders to make better decisions that can save lives,” said Kirstin Alvanitakis, communications director for the Louisiana Democratic Party. “Last week, Bill Cassidy said he would ‘have to look into the effects’ of his vote for the Ryan budget that increases flood insurance rates. Sadly, the people of Louisiana don’t have to look very far into Bill Cassidy’s voting record to see that they don’t come first. Politics do.”
###