PROTECTING AMERICA THROUGH PUBLIC ALERT & WARNING NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE APRIL 6, 2004 Kenneth B. Allen Executive Director Partnership for Public Warning

PARTNERSHIP FOR PUBLIC WARNING A non-profit, public-private partnership A non-profit, public-private partnership Established in January 2002 by leaders of the emergency management community Established in January 2002 by leaders of the emergency management community Participants include emergency managers and warning experts from local and state government, the private sector, non-profit community and federal government Participants include emergency managers and warning experts from local and state government, the private sector, non-profit community and federal government Provides a collaborative forum where all the stakeholders are working together Provides a collaborative forum where all the stakeholders are working together

PUBLIC WARNING Objective: (1) alert people at risk (2) provide timely, relevant & accurate (2) provide timely, relevant & accurate information information (3) protective actions (3) protective actions Success: The actions people take Benefits: Save lives, reduce property losses & speed economic recovery economic recovery

PUBLIC WARNING IS A SYSTEM – NOT A TECHNOLOGY Data collection & analysis Data collection & analysis Decision to issue a warning Decision to issue a warning Framing the warning Framing the warning Disseminating the warning Disseminating the warning Public reception Public reception Validation Validation Take Action Take Action

CURRENT US PUBLIC WARNING CAPABILITY MULTIPLICITY OF THREAT SCALES: MULTIPLICITY OF THREAT SCALES: air quality, asteroids, computer viruses, earthquakes, air quality, asteroids, computer viruses, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, nuclear plants, terrorism, floods, hurricanes, nuclear plants, terrorism, tsunamis, volcanoes, winds tsunamis, volcanoes, winds DISSEMINATION CHANNELS: DISSEMINATION CHANNELS: NWR, EAS, TV & radio, local systems NWR, EAS, TV & radio, local systems

 Fragmented  Inconsistent scales  Lack of standard terminology  Voluntary  Dependent on TV & Radio  Lack of clear policies & procedures  Fail to warn those with special needs  Lack of funding  Little public awareness  No strategy or vision  Lack of leadership STATE OF US PUBLIC WARNING CAPABILITY

THE BOTTOM LINE Existing systems fail to reach many people at risk and reach many people not at risk. When an emergency happens, many individuals fail to get timely information, fail to understand or act on the information and don’t know where to go for additional information

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE PUBLIC WARNING CAPABILITY  All hazard  Take advantage of existing assets (e.g. NWR & EAS)  Doesn’t put anyone at risk  Supports multiple warning sources  Individually addressable  Only authorized officials may enter warnings  Enhance local control  Secure, redundant & available 24/7  Open, non-proprietary architecture  Uniform terminology  Clear & consistent messages  Support multiple languages & users with disabilities  Available during power outages  Multiple distribution channels using multiple technologies  Easily understood by public

CREATING AN EFFECTIVE PUBLIC WARNING CAPABILITY  Not a technology problem  Solution requires: Collaboration & consensus Collaboration & consensus Enhancement of legacy systems Enhancement of legacy systems Standards Standards Policies & procedures Policies & procedures Education Education Leadership Leadership

PPW ACCOMPLISHMENTS Educated senior government officials & the public Educated senior government officials & the public Homeland Security Advisory System Homeland Security Advisory System Emergency Alert System Emergency Alert System Common Alerting Protocol Common Alerting Protocol National strategy & plan for improving public warning National strategy & plan for improving public warningwww.PartnershipforPublicWarning.org

ESTABLISH A NATIONAL GOAL Create a national public warning system that will provide people at risk during times of emergency with timely and useful information that will enable them to take appropriate actions to save lives and property.

THE CHALLENGE To collaborate on the development of a national public warning capability that will, during times of emergency, get the right information to the right people at the right time, regardless of their location, the time of day or night and any special needs.