Hurricane center gets funds to improve storm-warning system

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
MIAMI -- When deadly storms threaten, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center will get the chance to fly their most sophisticated hurricane hunter planes on missions rarely flown before.
They'll get essential information from new buoys installed in waters that have long gone unmonitored, and from upgraded ground sensors that for years have died in strong winds.
The equipment was promised by Congress late Thursday, which approved a White House proposal of more than $25 million in emergency spending to improve the nation's storm-warning system.
The money for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the Hurricane Center in West Miami-Dade, comes as hurricanes are striking at a deadly pace -- with nine of the past 11 years posting above-normal hurricane seasons.
NOAA officials were unable to say when the equipment would be installed, but said it was a top priority.
"I'm glad the Senate heard our call for new equipment for NOAA," said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. "In Florida and elsewhere, the agency literally is a lifesaver."