251 



around our own coast, whatever happens in the oceans in many areas 

 is of vital interest to us and to our merchant ships, Wliat is the signifi- 

 cance of this new deep pool of hot water in the Red Sea, for instance? 

 Is it of great significance ? 



Dr. White. Some people think it is of very great significance, Mr. 

 Chairman. This is not a new discovery of this ship. Other such pools of 

 brines with heavy concentrations of elements which some people be- 

 lieve coLild be very readily exploited have been found by other expedi- 

 tions. The Ocedmogrwpher has found a new one that other people have 

 not found. They have been found before in this area. 



Mr. Rogers. What is the natural disaster warning system that you 

 speak of? 



Dr. White. The natural disaster warning system, Mr. Chairman, is 

 a plan which we have prepared which seeks to bring the best of our 

 present technology to bear — in order to provide accurate and timely 

 warnings of natural disasters of all kinds on a nationwide basis. We 

 have concluded as a result of a number of disasters in the past few- 

 years that there are deficiencies in the present system. For example, we 

 are deficient in providing emergency power, rapid dissemination of 

 warnings in some areas, and in providing adequate radar coverage. 



There is a major task to be done in community education, and com- 

 munity preparedness plans. As a result of the analysis of a number 

 of these disasters including the Palm Sunday tornadoes of several 

 years ago, this plan was devised so we could bring our warning serv- 

 ices to the highest level we could, given the existing techonology. 



Mr. Rogers. This is to be interagency ? 



Dr. White. This plan was prepared by an interagency group. The 

 main burden of it will fall on our organization. 



Mr. Rogers. Will you give us a detailed explanation of these 

 agencies for the record ? 



Dr. White. Yes, sir. 



( The information follows : ) 



Makeup of NAD WARN 



The nationwide Natural Disaster Warning (NAD WARN) System planning 

 group was comprised of representatives of ESSA, Ck)ast Guard, Army Corps of 

 Engineers, Federal Communications Commission, Office of Civil Defense, and 

 Office of Emergency Planning. Many agencies and organizations, federal, state, 

 county, city and private, are involved in disseminating the warnings to the public. 



Mr. Rogers. I have one last question. Have you tried any control 

 measures on the hurricanes that we have had this year ? Have you done 

 any seeding or attempted to try to divert the hurricanes ? 



Dr. WnrrE. None of the hurricanes this season, so far, have come 

 within the area that we are operating in. Our aircraft have been in 

 readiness and we are all set to go. We are just waiting for a hurricane. 

 We had hurricanes like Beulah and Doria but neither were in appro- 

 priate situations. 



Mr. Rogers. You are only doing research in a certain area because 

 you do not want a storm to be too close to land because you do not 

 know for sure what the reaction would be from the seeding. "^Yliat is 

 the significance of not doing it on these areas ? 



Dr. White. We wish to conduct our research over the open oceans 

 where the effects of the land are minimized. When a hurricane comes 



