Back ||NOAA Home Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.) Speech (as prepared) at 8th Annual Mark Trail Awards June 3, 2004 I am delighted to be back here again this year to join you in this great celebration. This is a celebration of people helping their fellow citizens, government gaining value for the American people, and ultimately a celebration of saving lives. I want to start off by thanking Representative Vern Ehlers and the staff of the House Science Committee for their continued support of NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards and for arranging the use of this beautiful space. Please join me in thanking the American Meteorological Society; King Features Syndicate; Armstrong Transmitter Corporation; Drinker, Biddle, & Reath, LLP; Midland Radio Corporation; RadioShack and Sima Products Corporation. These partners have helped make NOAA Weather Radio (all Hazards) a success and I want to also thank them for hosting this ceremony. I also want to acknowledge the contribution of the Consumer Electronics Association who, through a partnership with NOAA, has developed industry standards that allows consumers to know that they are buying an approved weather radio. We cannot forget the valuable contribution of Jack Elrod, the creator of the Mark Trail Comic Strip. He has long been a true advocate for NOAA and weather radios and we appreciate his efforts to highlight the work we do. Please join me in giving Jack a round of applause. I appreciate the support of all the members of congress and their staffs who are here today as well I mentioned gaining value for the American people because in my tenure at NOAA I have tried to operate with the vision of science creating value. There may be no better example of this vision being put into practice than with NOAA Weather Radio. All the great minds at NOAA, all the high-tech tools, and all the hard work combine in these small, inexpensive and easy to use radios to provide critical information directly to people’s homes and automobiles. They form the basis of what is growing into an advanced notification system. We hope to continue to improve this value by upgrading our equipment and understanding of weather systems and forecast modeling. We are also moving towards a complete Earth Observing System that will fundamentally change the way we see the planet. When we last met we were anxiously awaiting the first international meeting to begin discussing this historic endeavor. I’m proud to report that just a few weeks ago, some 47 nations, the European Commission, and many other non-governmental organizations agreed on a framework to create the global network. All the technology and science in the world means little if it doesn’t reach the people that need it most. That is why we are here today to honor you. Looking over the list of awardees the other night, I was humbled to say the least. The selflessness of your actions in looking out for your communities and fellow citizens is admirable and you should all be proud. I can tell you that NOAA is proud to be associated with people like you and we are better off because of it. The list of awardees is also a case study in teamwork. This might be best exemplified by the partnership between NOAA and the Rural Utilities Service, which has focused on installing transmitters in unserved rural areas. In turn, HUD started a pilot program to provide grant money to make weather radios available to low-income families. One of today’s honorees, the City of Hattiesburg, MS, took advantage of that grant to purchase NOAA Weather Radio receivers for distribution to the elderly, the disabled, and low-income housing families. So, while we may be honoring individuals today I think it is important to remember that there is a very valuable team behind each one. Sadly, it is all too easy to track how many people are killed and injured from weather hazards. Sadder still is that we do know many of these deaths can be avoided. Through education, awareness and early warning we can reduce the loss of life and property. NOAA has several programs such as “Turn around, don’t drown” to reduce losses due to flooded highways and the recently introduced, “Break the grip of the Rip” to teach beach goers about the dangers in rip currents and how to avoid them. Not to take anything away from this special day, but I hope and work for the day when we will no longer have an event like this. Someday everyone will have access to a NOAA Weather Radio and will know what to do with the information they receive. But until that day comes we must all keep up the work. Keep up your great work and know that your fellow citizens are safer because of you. Thank you all for your valuable contributions.