A nation prepared for and ready to effectively respond to weather-dependent events

1. Moving Toward A Weather Ready Nation A nation prepared for and ready to effectively respond to weather-dependent events David R. ValleeHydrologist-in-ChargeNOAA/NWS/Northeast River Forecast Center

2. A Changing World 2010: Unprecedented Disasters • Iceland Volcanic Ash • $2B Aviation Impacts “Snowmaggedon” DC – Baltimore Paralyzed for 7 days Deepwater Horizon Over 100 days’ deployment

3. 2011: A Year of Extremes 14 Weather and Climate Billion Dollar Disasters

4. A Changing WorldIncreased Vulnerability to High-Impact Weather

5. A Changing WorldPopulation Shifts, Technological Dependence

6. NOAA’s Response to the ChallengeFour Pillars of NOAA’s Success PEOPLE COMPUTATION & MODELING RESEARCH CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL INTELLIGENCE OBSERVATIONS

7. NWS Evolves Operations Executing the Strategic WRN Vision Business Plan 2012 Services Plan NWS WRN Roadmap Implementation Plan NWSStrategic Plan NWSRoadmap NOAA Strategic Plan S&T Plan 2020_001 Workforce Evolution Plan

8. NWS Response Build a Weather-Ready Nation What is a Weather-Ready Nation? • Society is Prepared for and Effectively Responds to Weather-Dependent Events What will it take to build a Weather-Ready Nation? • Evolves Operations • Enhanced decision support services, a common operating picture from latest observation platforms and models, community risk assessments • NOAA leads integration of Weather, Water, Climate IDSS with help from social scientists • Creates National Movement for Weather-readiness • National Dialogue with partners: series of symposiums to assess why the nation is more vulnerable and identify how to improve preparedness • NWS leads partnered public education initiative to improve societal response to weather information and warnings • Americans will know how and when to take action

9. NWS Evolves Service Operations Six NWS Pilot Projects: • Impact-Based Decision Support Services (IDSS): • Urban region – Sterling, Va., • Coastal region – New Orleans • Regional level – Fort Worth • National level – Silver Spring • Integrated environmental services – WFO Tampa, FL • Mesoscale Science – WFO Charleston, WV Build a Little, Test a Little, Field a Little

10. Significance What does it mean for you? Better information for better decisions • Accuracy and specificity give people confidence to act For example: • When a mother in Nebraska hears a tornado warning detailing the intensity and track of the tornado, she understands that she should go to the basement now, not in a half hour. • When a hurricane will make landfall in North Carolina, emergency managers will have a new level of support from NWS emergency response specialists. • Forecasts will focus on impacts. For example, “two inches of snow an hour” may become “roads will be impassable due to heavy snowfall during rush hour.” • Environmental forecasts will help people manage chronic respiratory illnesses such as asthma.

11. Create a National MovementGoal and Strategic Approach • National team led by NWS Communications with NOAA External Affairs, NESDIS, OAR, NOS Introduce Weather-Ready Nation to NOAA employees Conduct communication campaign at the national and local levels linking the reality of extreme/intense weather to the need for a WRN Create a WRN national movement on two fronts: 1. Weather Enterprise & Emergency Management; 2. The Public. Start a national movement to save American lives and livelihoods by creating a Weather-Ready Nation

12. Initiated a National Conversation Improve public understanding of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather Stimulate discussion with public, partners, and stakeholders on solutions for reducing impacts Evaluate opportunities for improving: • User-driven impact-based forecasts/warnings • Integration of social and natural sciences into services • Service delivery across the weather enterprise • Community planning and impacts mitigation

13. Norman WRN National ConversationKey Actions • Integrate social and physical sciences – from research to operations • Review strategies to reduce false alarms • Update warning dissemination strategy • Advance physical modeling of severe weather (Warn on Forecast) • Improve outreach and education to supported agencies and groups: FEMA, emergency managers, threatened communities. • Evolve the NWS Service Assessment following major severe weather outbreaks into one more like the NTSB assessments following major transportation disasters.

14. Future WRN Conversations 13-15 December 2011 Weather Ready Nation – A Vital Conversation (held in Norman) 23 January 2012 AMS Town Hall to report on Norman Workshop outcomes to the community 1-3 March 2012 National Severe Weather Workshop in Norman 10-12 April 2012 AMS Washington Forum “Towards a Weather, Water, and Climate Ready Nation” 24-26 April 2012 Workshop on Social and Physical Sciences Ready Responsive Resilient

15. NOAA Communications CampaignSocial Marketing Campaign Create a National Movement through a Social Marketing Campaign • Elevate public consciousness about weather readiness • Messages: Public Safety, Economic Stability, Vibrant Businesses Tactics: • National public media campaign • Severe weather season campaign push • Grassroots efforts by NOAA local offices

16. Weather-Ready Nation Web Sitewww.noaa.gov/wrn

17. Moving Toward A Weather Ready Nation A nation prepared for and ready to effectively respond to weather-dependent events David R. ValleeHydrologist-in-ChargeNOAA/NWS/Northeast River Forecast Center