U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, sent a letter to Dr. Neil Jacobs, Acting Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), requesting NOAA’s plan for hazardous weather communication during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Excerpt from letter:

As chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, I request that you provide a detailed accounting of your plans for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to communicate hazardous weather information during the COVID-19 pandemic. With flooding and tornadoes impacting the Midwest and Southern states over the last few weeks, we have seen firsthand the challenges of managing natural disaster preparedness and response amid this pandemic. Government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels are already stretched thin as they work to control the spread of the virus. In addition, there can be conflict in the guidelines for handling the risks of a pandemic and a natural disaster, with the former instructing people to stay in their homes and the latter often directing displaced persons to evacuation shelters. 

Click here to read the full letter.