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

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

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

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

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

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Thunder EagleThunder Eagle Federal receiversFederal receivers Alpha PagersAlpha Pagers Cell phonesCell phones InternetInternet EAS receiverEAS receiver NOAA Weather ReceiverNOAA Weather Receiver Weather StationWeather Station Meteorlogix – Storm SentryMeteorlogix – Storm Sentry

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources EMWINEMWIN RASTRACK messagingRASTRACK messaging Alpha-paging encodersAlpha-paging encoders / messaging / messaging Ohio EMA Weather AlertsOhio EMA Weather Alerts Storm Now AlertsStorm Now Alerts Public safety two-way UHF communicationsPublic safety two-way UHF communications Amateur RadioAmateur Radio TelevisionTelevision

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources AM/FM radioAM/FM radio ScannersScanners FAXFAX PhonePhone MARCS radio systemMARCS radio system Reverse 9-1-1Reverse NW Ohio Skywarn group NW Ohio Skywarn group NWS’ eSpotterNWS’ eSpotter

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

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Thunder EagleThunder Eagle –Receives NWS weather messages –Use SAME codes to separate “our” messages –We broadcast any Tornado Warning or Severe Thunderstorm Warning for our county over a VHF radio frequency –We can send custom county messages –Activate Federal Receivers

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Federal receiversFederal receivers –“Black Box” receiver activated by encoded broadcast from the Thunder Eagle system –We place these in schools, hospitals, businesses, public buildings, etc. –We allow Warning- level weather messages –Also receives our custom county messages

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Alpha PagersAlpha Pagers –Alpha-numeric pagers –Short text messages via –Weather status & warnings from subscription service –Weather status & warnings from our weather family

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Cell phonesCell phones –Some of the same messages used by alpha-numeric pagers –Voice communications by live calling or by recorded message –Some phones allow & web –Some phones now have short- range radios used with other similar cell system components

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources InternetInternet –Some of the same notifications used by pagers –Weather websites showing radar, reports, discussion –Emergency websites showing relief efforts, logistics –Shared data systems to connect agencies –Instant Messaging – IM’s such as Yahoo Messenger, AOL AIM, ICQ

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Emergency Activation System (EAS) receiverEmergency Activation System (EAS) receiver –Encode/Decode of NWS Weather Alerts –Logging of events on a dedicated printer –Local radio stations

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources NOAA Weather ReceiverNOAA Weather Receiver –SAME weather receivers available from places like Radio Shack, Uniden and others –At EOC we have a radio dedicated to each NOAA weather station in our area – Carey & Castalia –Some radios have the capability to send to pagers and accounts

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Weather StationWeather Station –Local conditions –Available on Internet –Archive of weather readings to computer storage drive –Many types to choose from –Ours is a Peet Bros.

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Meteorlogix – Storm SentryMeteorlogix – Storm Sentry –Near real-time data –Satellite feed –New version is web-based –Weather radar, text products –Enhanced data analysis –Looping of data pictures for review –Automated tasks such as printing of county-specific watches and warnings

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources EMWINEMWIN –Satellite reception –Send it out over Amateur Radio Packet BBS –We had a computer-generated voice read the report on Amateur Radio –Can be logged to a printer

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources RASTRACK messagingRASTRACK messaging –Allows text messages to be sent to our Public Safety UHF radio system –Messages can be pre-set or can be custom –Saves air-time, personal time and is private –Messages can be sent to individuals or groups –Messages are identified by the assigned radio system ID’s

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Alpha-paging encodersAlpha-paging encoders –A previous method we used Alphamates –Can still use as a backup

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources / messaging / messaging –Regular to personnel – sent to pagers and cell phones – from discussion websites such as Yahoo!

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Ohio EMA Weather AlertsOhio EMA Weather Alerts –This is a coordinated system between the Ohio EMA and NWS –OEMA receives NWS text product and sends it out to a subscription list of pagers, cell phones and

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources StormNow AlertsStormNow Alerts –Customize for your needs –Low cost subscription

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Public safety two-way UHF communicationsPublic safety two-way UHF communications –Any channel is available for public safety and is redundant several times –We dedicate a common channel to severe weather information and communications when watches and warnings are issued –All fire, EMS, law enforcement and public safety can participate –Fire and law spotters

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Amateur RadioAmateur Radio –This is a large resource –This volunteer group is many times cross-trained for service, especially emergency 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

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources TelevisionTelevision –Local stations –Weather Channel

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources AM/FM radioAM/FM radio –Relationship with your local stations –Public service announcements –Find ways to keep them on the air during emergencies –Emergency power

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources ScannersScanners –Available to the general public –Published Public Safety frequencies –Monitor public services as they respond –Monitor Amateur Radio networks

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources FAXFAX –Announce weather that is coming soon –Especially slow-arrival, long-range weather such as snow –Can be sent to a large group by broadcast

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources PhonePhone –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 use or improve this universal resource

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

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources Reverse 9-1-1Reverse –Use telephone infrastructure to call specific “groups” with any type of message –“Groups” can be of any delineation including geographic, service, work- group and more –Message is automated for delivery by a dedicated network –Includes many other abilities such as verifying receipt of message, replying to the message, surveys –Extremely versatile –May incur additional costs

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources NW Ohio Skywarn group (others)NW Ohio Skywarn group (others) –Your local Skywarn group may have an online discussion group –Each group’s rules may differ –Usually includes ability to send notices, , and Instant Messaging (IM) –If you use some of these online groups for other things, then you can easily send a request to join –You may need to first subscribe to a group service

Good or Severe Weather Severe Weather Monitoring / Warning Resources NWS’ eSpotterNWS’ 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 additional privileges and review of reports

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

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