Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany introduces legislation that he believes will help lead to better detection of tornadoes in south Louisiana. Boustany’s bill would require a Doppler weather radar site to be built near Baton Rouge. The US Representative says last February’s tornado outbreak inspired him to author of this federal legislation.

“Back in February of this year, 12 tornadoes struck south Louisiana, injuring 90 individuals, claiming the lives of two Louisianans, and there was a lot of property damage,” Boustany said.

There are detection sites near Slidell and Lake Charles, but none near Baton Rouge. Boustany says a new site will close the gap in radar coverage in Louisiana. He says he is looking into how much the radar site will cost, but he wanted to get the legislation introduced first.

“We’re looking at the cost of this now. Keep in mind, what’s the alternative, a significant loss of life and property damage without proper warning,” Boustany said.

There are also Doppler radars near Fort Polk and Shreveport. Boustany says a new radar detection site will ensure that Louisiana is better covered by weather radar to give citizens as much warning as possible to seek shelter or evacuate.

“To have this complete deficiency in tornado detection when the technology exists puts a lot of Louisiana lives at risk, and that’s just unacceptable,” Boustany said.

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