| June 21, 2007 |
| Caitlin Carroll/ Steve Dutton (202) 225-5071 |
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) today introduced legislation along with Reps. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN), Dennis Moore (D-KS), and Spencer Bachus (R-AL) to require manufactured mobile homes to be equipped with weather radios to warn residents of severe weather.
“As we have recently experienced here in Tarrant County and the surrounding areas severe weather can strike quickly and with little notice,” said Granger. “Advance notice is a critical lifeline to protecting our communities.”
CJ’s Home Protection Act would change the Federal manufactured home construction and safety standards to require every manufactured home delivered for sale to be supplied with a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio. Weather radios provide immediate broadcasts of severe weather warnings and civil emergency messages, including tornado and flood warnings, AMBER alerts for child abductions, and chemical spill notification. Prices vary from $20-$80.
“The built-in technology this bill provides would ensure that people are getting the information they need before a severe storm hits,” said Granger. “This will help save hundreds of lives and prevent needless, tragic deaths.”
The bill is named after CJ Martin, a two-year-old boy, whose life was taken by F3 tornado in southwest Indiana in 2005. His mother, Kathryn, turned her grief into a state-wide advocacy campaign that resulted in an Indiana law requiring NOAA Weather Radios to be installed in all new mobile and manufactured housing, which then prompted the federal initiative.
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