1 / 37

Role of the Emergency Manager & Agency for Severe Weather

Role of the Emergency Manager & Agency for Severe Weather. Dan Stahl Administrator Seneca County Department of Public Safety Hazardous Weather Course May 17-19, 2005. NOAA’s National Weather Service. NOAA’s National Weather Service. The Day Begins. Monitor the Weather

major
Download Presentation

Role of the Emergency Manager & Agency for Severe Weather

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Role of the Emergency Manager& Agency for Severe Weather Dan StahlAdministrator Seneca County Department of Public Safety Hazardous Weather Course May 17-19, 2005 NOAA’s National Weather Service NOAA’s National Weather Service

  2. The Day Begins • Monitor the Weather • Serious, High-Priority EMA job – every day • Any Weather for Any Emergency • Severe Weather possibilities • Multiple reviews of available data • Begins before weather • Spotter activation criteria • Contact with NWS office • Emergency Operations Plan - in place • Checklists – don’t miss procedures, assignments • Relationships with other agencies and providers • Local and Regional weather meetings

  3. The Day Begins • Monitor the Weather • NWS Severe Weather Outlook • Received daily • 1-day outlook • 2-7 day outlook • Zone Forecast • Local weather forecast through media • Other “heads up” on the weather

  4. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather is Possible • Your favorite weather source • Check Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Forecast • Check local media for their interpretation • Check NWS Doppler Radar • NWS Cleveland • NWS North Webster • NWS Wilmington

  5. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather is Possible (continued) • Monitor local Amateur Radio repeaters • Monitor local Skywarn Net • Monitor regional Skywarn Control Net • Monitor MARCS system for other counties’ weather • West of our area • South of our area • Odd weather situations (unusual frontal activity)

  6. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Thunder Eagle • Federal receivers • Alpha Pagers • Cell phones • Internet • EAS receiver • NOAA Weather Receiver • Weather Station • Meteorlogix – Storm Sentry

  7. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • EMWIN • RASTRACK messaging • Alpha-paging encoders • Email / Email messaging • Ohio EMA Weather Alerts • Storm Now Alerts • Public safety two-way UHF communications • Amateur Radio • Television

  8. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • AM/FM radio • Scanners • FAX • Phone • MARCS radio system • Reverse 9-1-1 • NW Ohio Skywarn group email • NWS’ eSpotter

  9. Good or Severe Weather • Monitoring / Warning Goal • Provide a “heads up” for our communities • Messaging to public safety agencies • If practical, FAX to • Fire • EMS • Law enforcement • Schools • Hospitals • Government agencies

  10. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Thunder Eagle • Receives NWSweather messages • Use SAME codes toseparate “our” messages • We broadcast anyTornado Warning orSevere ThunderstormWarning for our countyover a VHF radio frequency • We can send customcounty messages • Activate Federal Receivers

  11. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Federal receivers • “Black Box” receiveractivated by encodedbroadcast from theThunder Eagle system • We place these inschools, hospitals,businesses, publicbuildings, etc. • We allow Warning-level weather messages • Also receives our customcounty messages

  12. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Alpha Pagers • Alpha-numeric pagers • Short text messagesvia email • Weather status & warningsfrom subscription service • Weather status & warningsfrom our weather family

  13. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Cell phones • Some of the same messagesused by alpha-numeric pagers • Voice communications by livecalling or by recorded message • Some phones allow email & web • Some phones now have short-range radios used with othersimilar cell system components

  14. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Internet • Some of the same emailnotifications used by pagers • Weather websites showingradar, reports, discussion • Emergency websites showingrelief efforts, logistics • Shared data systems toconnect agencies • Instant Messaging – IM’ssuch as Yahoo Messenger,AOL AIM, ICQ

  15. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Emergency Activation System (EAS) receiver • Encode/Decode ofNWS Weather Alerts • Logging of events on adedicated printer • Local radio stations

  16. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • NOAA Weather Receiver • SAME weather receiversavailable from places likeRadio Shack, Uniden andothers • At EOC we have a radiodedicated to each NOAAweather station in our area –Carey & Castalia • Some radios have the capabilityto send email to pagers andemail accounts

  17. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Weather Station • Local conditions • Available on Internet • Archive of weather readingsto computer storage drivewww.senecapublicsafety.org • Many types to choose from • Ours is a Peet Bros.

  18. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Meteorlogix – Storm Sentry • Near real-time data • Satellite feed • New version is web-based • Weather radar, text products • Enhanced data analysis • Looping of data picturesfor review • Automated tasks such asprinting of county-specificwatches and warnings

  19. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • EMWIN • Satellite reception • Send it out overAmateur Radio Packet BBS • We had a computer-generatedvoice read the report onAmateur Radio • Can be logged to a printer

  20. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • RASTRACK messaging • Allows text messages tobe sent to our Public SafetyUHF radio system • Messages can be pre-setor can be custom • Saves air-time, personaltime and is private • Messages can be sent toindividuals or groups • Messages are identifiedby the assigned radiosystem ID’s

  21. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Alpha-paging encoders • A previous method weused Alphamates • Can still use as a backup

  22. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Email / Email messaging • Regular email to personnel • Email sent to pagers andcell phones • Email from discussionwebsites such as Yahoo!

  23. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Ohio EMA Weather Alerts • This is a coordinatedsystem between theOhio EMA and NWS • OEMA receives NWStext product and sends it outto a subscription list of pagers,cell phones and email

  24. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • StormNow Alerts • Customize for your needs • Low cost subscription

  25. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Public safety two-wayUHF communications • Any channel is availablefor public safety and isredundant several times • We dedicate a commonchannel to severe weatherinformation andcommunications when watchesand warnings are issued • All fire, EMS, law enforcementand public safety can participate • Fire and law spotters

  26. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Amateur Radio • This is a large resource • This volunteer group ismany times cross-trainedfor service, especiallyemergency communications • They bring their own equipment • They can operate other equipment • They can supplement EOC • They may be independent,Skywarn, Red Cross, Salvation Army,Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), MARS • They run networks, are spotters, operate from home or onsite

  27. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Television • Local stations • Weather Channel

  28. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • AM/FM radio • Relationship with yourlocal stations • Public service announcements • Find ways to keep themon the air during emergencies • Emergency power

  29. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Scanners • Available to the general public • Published Public Safetyfrequencies • Monitor public services asthey respond • Monitor Amateur Radio networks

  30. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • FAX • Announce weather that iscoming soon • Especially slow-arrival,long-range weathersuch as snow • Can be sent to a largegroup by broadcast

  31. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Phone • Easy to use • Common to high percentage of people • Easy to train users • Both wired and wireless • Many enhancement tools available • Develop calling trees for notification • Need to learn new ways to useor improve this universal resource

  32. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • MARCS Radio System • Another radio path to NWS • Another radio path to other counties • Digital • Some SIMPLEX Analog channels

  33. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • Reverse 9-1-1 • Use telephone infrastructure to callspecific “groups” with any type of message • “Groups” can be of any delineationincluding geographic, service, work-group and more • Message is automated for deliveryby a dedicated network • Includes many other abilities such asverifying receipt of message, replyingto the message, surveys • Extremely versatile • May incur additional costs

  34. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • NW Ohio Skywarn group email (others) • Your local Skywarn groupmay have an onlinediscussion group • Each group’s rules may differ • Usually includes ability tosend notices, email, andInstant Messaging (IM) • If you use some of these onlinegroups for other things, then youcan easily send a request to join • You may need to first subscribeto a group service

  35. Good or Severe Weather • Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources • NWS’ eSpotter • From the National Weather Service • Online weather reporting system • New version • Each NWS office decides to use it • Several offices now online • Users authorized by each office • EMA directors can be given additionalprivileges and review of reports

  36. Are you ready? • Get your resources lined up • Don’t wait until the last minute • Plan for redundancy • Propagate working relationships with responders • Talk to your NWS office regularly

  37. Thank you! • Next up – Severe Weather Plans • How our county operates during severe weather • Getting your severe weather resources in order • Recruiting Volunteers • Interfacing with Skywarn and NWS Thanks for your attention!

More Related