Warning America

1. Warning America Partnership for Public Warning 2nd National Emergency Summit onPublic Warning in America Mr. Scott Rayder Chief of Staff National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration June 28, 2004

2. Agenda • NOAA’s Mission • NOAA’s Partnerships • NOAA’s National Weather Service Warning Program • Where we are today • Where we are going • Summary & Conclusion

3. NOAA’s Mission • NOAA’s Mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet the Nation’s economic, social, and environmental needs

4. NOAA’s Mission Goals • Four overarching goals for achieving NOAA’s mission… • Protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through ecosystem management approaches • Understand climate variability and change to enhance society’s ability to plan and respond • Serve society’s needs for weather and water information • Support the Nation’s commerce with information for safe and efficient transportation

5. NOAA’s Partnerships Cooperative Observer • Who are NOAA’s Partners? • Federal Agencies FEMA/DHS USDA • State, Local and Tribal Government Agencies (Emergency Managers) • Broadcast Media (Broadcast Meteorologists) • Private Sector • Academia • Public (Spotters, Cooperative Observers)

6. Why is NOAA Here Today? • NOAA wants to: • Be part of the team that helps identify ways that government and industry can work together to improve America's warning capability. • Enhance communication and collaboration among the warning community. • Discuss the important issues on the agenda.

7. What are All-Hazards? • All hazards emergency messages include: • Natural hazards, e.g., • Tornadoes • Hurricanes • Floods • Earthquakes • Accidents • Chemical releases • Oil spills • Nuclear power plant emergencies • Terrorism • Amber Alerts • Other Hazards

8. NOAA Delivers All-Hazards Messages • Criteria for NOAA to disseminate non-weather related Civil Emergency Messages • Public safety is involved • Message originates from an official government source • Information is time critical • Broadcast of all hazards emergency messages requires • Message collection • Authentication • Dissemination

9. How Civil Emergency Messages Reach the Public Today LEGEND Message delivered Message delivered if appropriate receiver exists Message delivered according to state plans Message delivered according to state plans: Sparse infrastructure Weather Forecast Office Civil Emergency Message: Local, State, Federal NWS Dissemination Systems: Weather Wire, EMWIN, Internet, Family of Services, Commercial Vendors NOAA Weather Radio Local Radio/TV (Emergency Alert System) Voluntary broadcast Public

10. NWS Dissemination of Warnings NOAAPORT • How do NOAA and all hazards warnings reach people? • Family of Services • NOAAPORT • NOAA Weather Wire Service • Emergency Manager’s Weather Information Network • NOAA Weather Radio • Internet • Media

11. NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) • NWR is the voice of NOAA’s National Weather Service • NWR operates 24 X 7 • NWR is our main entry into the Emergency Alert System (EAS) • NWR Covers 97% of the nation • 900 NWR Transmitters

12. The Role of NWR for Civil Emergency Messages • CEM via NWR provides people an effective and timely first alert function • We requested $5.5 million in FY04 funding to improve and streamline NOAA Weather Radio • Benefits: • Improvements in the civil emergency message process by providing emergency managers and first responders access into our dissemination systems • Reduction in message time delays from 7 minutes to 2 minutes • MOA signed between DHS & NOAA- June 17, 2004

13. The Role of NWR for Civil Emergency Messages (cont) • Senate appropriation language: • Supportive of DHS intent to use NWR as foundation of Homeland Security Advisory System • Wants to increase NWR exposure • Provides $10 million for NWR in schools throughout the Nation on a priority basis

14. The Integrated Warning Process • Detection and Warning: • Detect threat and warn for it • Communication: • Communicate and deliver the message • Response: • Ensure the message prompts the appropriate response May 21-25, 2004 = Approx. 141 tornado reports, 124 flash floods: 6 fatalities May 12-18, 1995 = 173 tornado reports, 307 fatalities

15. Examples of an Integrated Warning System in Action: • Van Wert, OhioA “STORMREADY” Community • Preparedness in Place • Threat Detected • Warning Issued • Warning Understood • Action Taken • Bottom Line: Lives saved • The integrated warning system is a direct result of a STORMREADY community Photo credit: Todd Campbell

16. What’s our Vision? • Every person in the U.S. gets climate, water and weather information: • They want • Where ever they are • Whenever they want it, and • Everyone at risk receives timely All-Hazards warning information • NOAA is more than weather – we also predict and warn for: • Tsunamis, harmful algal blooms, solar flares, and other hazards • Future = Air Quality and Ozone forecasts and warnings

17. Summary • PPW is performing their mission • NOAA’s mission intersects • Consensus for a future warning system is essential to its success • NOAA depends on partnerships for the existing weather/water warning system to work • We will continue to collaborate with partners to develop a more efficient and effective national warning system that ensures all warnings are as widely accessible as possible