Our View: Time to fill gaps in weather radar

• Published April 20, 2007

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Inside the storm

The lack of coastal radar coverage makes it hard for weather forecasters to see inside a storm heading inland off the Washington coast. That puts each of us at risk.

Remember the Dec. 14, 2006, windstorm that battered the Puget Sound basin, leaving about 1 million of us in the dark? The National Weather Service satellite imagery and computer models helped forecasters predict that heavy winds were on their way and did a good job of nailing down their approximate arrival time and duration. But we were not prepared for the amount of precipitation - and subsequent flooding - that resulted in disaster declarations throughout the region.

Federal, state and local government officials are always hammering on us about the importance of being well prepared for emergency situations - especially natural disasters. So why isn't the federal government doing all it can to better protect us by giving us complete weather information? The investment of a few million dollars in Wesport and Newport would help each of us brace for the storms that roll in off the Pacific Ocean.

Whom to contact

U.S. senators: Sen. Patty Murray , 173 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510. Call 202-224-2621. E-mail through the senator's Web site: www.murray.senate.gov/email. Sen. Maria Cantwell, 511 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510. Call 202-224-3441. E-mail through the senator's Web site: cantwell.senate.gov.

U.S. representatives: Rep. Brian Baird, 2443 Rayburn Office Building, Washington, DC 20515. Call 202-225-3536. E-mail through the congressman's Web site: www.house.gov/baird. Rep. Adam Smith, 2402 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515. Call 202-225-8901.

E-mail: Adam.smith@mail.house.gov.

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