Report: "Better hurricane research needed - will include Global Warming

[kerry-is-my-prez]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060929/ap_on_sc/hurricane_research&printer=1;_ylt=AsPbl94o8sxcdvdAC5WlsGRxieAA;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

Report: Better hurricane research needed By JENNIFER KAY, Associated Press Writer
5 minutes ago

The government should invest more money in understanding hurricanes because they are so deadly and expensive, according to a draft of a federal report released Friday.

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Hurricane-related losses in the U.S. totaled $168 billion in the last two hurricane seasons, and 1,450 storm-related deaths were reported, according to the report.

Meanwhile, annual funding for the government's "focal point" for storm analysis, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Hurricane Research Division, has never exceeded $5.1 million, and its staff has declined by 30 percent in the past decade, the report states.

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The report also said that current climate models do not adequately explain the link between hurricanes and global climate changes, that evacuation plans need refining and that improved communication technologies are needed to accurately assess damage within 24 hours after landfall.

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