Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from the barrier islands to discuss the storm’s impact and current recovery efforts. Photos are courtesy of...
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm, causing catastrophic damage along Florida’s Gulf Coast. It’s crucial for the federal government to expedite state-requested resources and authorize key policy flexibilities in order for Floridians to make a swift...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host two in-person events to assist constituents affected by Hurricane Helene and help navigate applications for FEMA assistance. Food, water, and additional resources will be available at the events. Event...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person and virtual Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of...
Following the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Debby, some local governments in Florida face looming budget shortfalls that could disrupt disaster recovery efforts. If these local governments receive reimbursements for past hurricanes from the Federal Emergency...
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic path through northwest Florida, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from Citrus County. Senator Rubio also met with small business owners impacted by the storm. Photos are courtesy of...
“With the 2016 hurricane season fast approaching, it’s important to remind Floridians about the importance of getting their home, business and insurance records in order and their contingency plans ready, just in case,” said Rubio. “Keeping our families safe and prepared in the event of a storm is paramount. From a policy standpoint, I’ve introduced legislation to improve hurricane forecasting that will continue to save lives and dollars. It’s unfortunate this common sense legislation has been needlessly tied up by politics as usual, but I remain committed to finding a way forward and getting it passed this year.”
Last year, Rubio introduced the “Hurricane Forecast Improvement Act of 2015” to improve guidance for hurricane tracking, intensity and storm surge forecasts. This legislation, which has been adopted in a larger bill working its way through the Senate’s commerce committee, would codify the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project, which aims to reduce the loss of life, injury and damage to the economy by reducing errors of tracking and intensity forecasts. Rubio is expected to chair a commerce committee hearing on hurricane preparedness later this month.
Below are photos taken from Rubio’s visit to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. All photos can be credited to the office of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio.
Rubio meets with Dr. Rick Knabb, Director of the National Hurricane Center:
Rubio in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) liaison room with Dr. Rick Knabb and Tiffany Hersey:
Rubio in NHC’s hurricane operations area with NHC Communications Officer Dennis Feltgen and Dr. Rick Knabb:
Rubio in National Weather Service (NWS) forecast office with Dr. Rick Knabb and Science & Operations Officer Kevin Scharfenberg:
Rubio in NHC’s Storm Surge room with Storm Surge Unit Officials William Booth and Jamie Rhome:
Rubio in NHC Forecast operation area with Branch Chief James Franklin, Jack Beven, Dr. Rick Knabb, Lixion Avila:
Rubio in the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) operations area with Chief Hugh Cobb, Gladys Rubio and Dr. Rick Knabb:
Rubio and Mission Specialist Warren Madden in Chief Aerial Reconnaissance Coordination, All Hurricanes (CARCAH):
Rubio in the admin hallway with Jannette Perez, Dr. Rick Knabb, Chris Burr, NHC Communications Officer Dennis Feltgen: