WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, marked Senate passage of two proposals he authored to improve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) ability to forecast flood events and respond to disasters in the nation’s fisheries.

Wicker introduced the “Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support (FLOODS) Act” (S. 558) with Senator Gary Peters, D-Mich., to establish a National Integrated Flood Information System. The legislation would improve flood watches and warnings, while also encouraging partnerships between educational institutions and federal agencies.

Wicker reintroduced the “Fishery Resource Disasters Improvement Act” (S. 2923) with Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wa. The legislation would reform NOAA’s Fishery Resource Disaster Relief program to get aid to affected fisheries more quickly after a disaster.

“I have seen firsthand how extensive flooding in Mississippi can create economic and environmental emergencies for local communities,” Wicker said. “Events like the repeated flooding of the Yazoo Backwater Area and the prolonged opening of the Bonnet Carré spillway have underscored the importance of changing federal policy to address flooding and its impacts more directly. I am calling on my colleagues in the House to advance these proposals to the President’s desk without further delay.”

The two proposals passed the Senate last week.

For more information on the FLOODS Act, click here.

For more information on the Fishery Resource Disasters Improvement Act, click here.