Governor Signs Bill Requiring All Hurricanes to Provide 48 Hours' Written Notice Before Landfall
Governor Harlan "Big Win" Bledsoe signed into law Tuesday the Leonida Weather Accountability and Advance Notice Act, which mandates that any Category 2 or higher hurricane must submit written notification to the Leonida Emergency Management Office no fewer than 48 hours prior to making landfall, including estimated time of arrival, projected wind speeds, and "a reasonable explanation for any late-notice revisions to previously submitted hurricane trajectory data."
The legislation was introduced by State Senator Derrick Thrail, who noted that he had been "frustrated many times" by hurricanes that "didn't follow their own routing and just showed up whenever they wanted." Governor Bledsoe stated at the signing that the bill would "finally hold nature accountable" and that he expected "immediate compliance." NOAA representatives were not available for comment, as they were reportedly still processing what they had just witnessed.
The bill does not specify consequences for non-compliance or a mechanism for filing written hurricane notices. Legal scholars at Leonida State have called it "legally incoherent" and "possibly the most astonishing thing the legislature has ever done," which is saying something.
