Feenstra

The powerful tornadoes that struck parts of Southwest Iowa were devastating, especially for communities in Pottawattamie County and Shelby County that bore the brunt of the destruction. According to some reports, there were roughly 24 tornadoes that touched down in Iowa with winds reaching as high as 165 mph. Our prayers remain with those impacted as we work to rebuild.

The day after the tornadoes, I traveled to Minden – a community of about 600 people – with Governor Reynolds and Senator Ernst to meet with local officials and law enforcement, thank volunteers on the ground, speak with community members, and assess the damage. Minden faced the worst of the storms. Mayor Kevin Zimmerman – a man who cares deeply about his community – told us that about 180 homes and businesses were either damaged or destroyed. Tragically, we later learned that a man who was injured during the storms passed away.

I also had the chance to meet a wonderful family whose home suffered significant damage. But, even in the face of devastation, they found reasons to smile as the community came together to help, clean up, and reassure one another. Iowans are resilient, and as I made clear in my conversations with local residents, we would use every tool available to help our communities recover and rebuild.

Iowans are no strangers to severe weather, which is why I’ve been working on legislation to help keep our families out of harm’s way when storms and tornadoes strike. Fortunately, just the other week, two bills that I introduced to improve weather radar and communications recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives as part of a larger weather package. In Iowa, we know that when it comes to dangerous storms, every second matters and can be the difference between life and death. This fact further underscores the urgent need for modern and reliable emergency notifications and communications during tornadoes and other storms.

My bills – the National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act and the Weather Innovation for the Next Generation (WING) Act – help ensure that our weather radar can better detect inclement weather, especially low-hanging tornadoes, and modernize the National Weather Service’s outdated communications network to disseminate time-sensitive information more quickly. These reforms will save lives, keep Iowans informed, and deliver accurate and timely updates during storms.

More specifically, the National Weather Service Communications Improvement Act would direct the NWS Director to review and select an off-the-shelf commercial alternative to NWS Chat – like Microsoft Teams or Slack – that prioritizes reliability and security, and delivers critical, time-sensitive information to broadcasters, emergency managers, and the general public in a timely manner. At the same time, the WING Act would require the National Weather Service to coordinate with the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and establish an R&D program to improve weather radar detection and prediction capabilities when physical structures obstruct radar line of sight.

These two pieces of legislation will help modernize our weather radar and communications to keep our families and communities safe. As a father of four and former storm watcher during my time as City Administrator of Hull, I will continue to support policies that help our rural communities detect and respond to severe weather. I look forward to seeing these two vital bills signed into law.

We are government together, and your thoughts and opinions matter to me. Please contact my office at Feenstra.House.Gov or by phone at 202-225-4426 if I can ever be of assistance. I am proud to represent our families, farmers, main street businesses, and rural communities in Congress.

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Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, represents Iowa’s Fourth District in the U.S. House.