America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is celebrating the

America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is celebrating the one year anniversary of its Weather-Ready Nation project. Weather(26)experts from across the United States have been working to improve the way the country(27)reacts to extreme weather. They say scientific progress has made weather forecasts, or predictions, better than ever. But, they say the cost of severe weather on life and(28)property is still too high.
    NOAA says a new generation of equipment has already made its global(29)numerical weather prediction system nearly three times faster in the past seven months. This is(30)expected to improve NOAA’s forecast models. Scientists and weather experts have(31)launched a similar effort in the Philippines. It is called Project NOAH—the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards. Mahar Lagmay, the head of Project NOAH, says his country needs high-resolution imaging to predict when and where natural disasters will strike. He also says these images will(32)be used to create smaller area maps, which will shape how people react to natural disasters.
    Geologist Carlos Primo David also works with Project NOAH. He says the group depends on(33)satellites, radar and hundreds of rain gauges across the country. The resulting forecasts are very detailed, and can even(34)predict the intensity of rainfall. The Philippine state weather agency used rainfall information from Project NOAH when Manila flooded in August. The weather agency also re-broadcast its warnings on the social networking website and a color coded warning system was also(35)put in place. Mahar Lagmay says the project passed its first test. He says the government used the information to move people to safety.