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-------- Original Message --------134 NOUS41 KWBC 041523
PNSWSH
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
1023 AM EST THU MAR 4 2010
TO: SUBSCRIBERS:
-FAMILY OF SERVICES
-NOAA WEATHER WIRE SERVICE
-EMERGENCY MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK
-NOAAPORT
OTHER NWS PARTNERS...AND NWS EMPLOYEES
FROM: LARRY WENZEL
NWS NATIONAL HYDROLOGIC OUTREACH PROGRAM LEADER
SUBJECT: 2010 FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK
MARCH 15 TO 19 2010 HAS BEEN SET ASIDE BY NOAA/S NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE TO PROMOTE ITS ANNUAL FLOOD SAFETY
AWARENESS WEEK. FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS TAKE NO HOLIDAY. IT
FLOODS SOMEWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES OR ITS TERRITORIES...
NEARLY EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. ON AVERAGE FLOODS KILL NEARLY
100 PEOPLE AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGES OF NEARLY
7 BILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY. THE GOAL OF FLOOD SAFETY
AWARENESS WEEK IS TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC OF THE HAZARDS OF
FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS TO REDUCE THE LOSS OF LIFE AND
PROPERTY.
GARY CARTER...MANAGER OF NOAA/S INTEGRATED WATER FORECASTING PROGRAM...STATED...
FLOODS THREATEN AMERICAN LIVES AND IMPACT OUR NATIONAL ECONOMY EVERY YEAR. OUR PROGRAM IS FOCUSED ON PROTECTING LIVES AND PROPERTY BY IMPROVING THE ACCURACY...LEAD TIME AND ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE WATER FORECAST AND WARNING SERVICES WE PROVIDE. MOREOVER...UNDERSTANDING THE THREAT AND HOW TO RESPOND ARE CRITICAL TO MITIGATING LOSS...AND FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK IS AN IMPORTANT MEANS OF HEIGHTENING PUBLIC AWARENESS. HOWEVER...WE DO NOT DO THIS ALONE. TO MEET OUR MISSION...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WORKS COLLABORATIVELY WITHIN NOAA AND PARTNERS WITH SEVERAL OTHER AGENCIES.TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE...NOAA WORKS CLOSELY WITH OTHER THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY...THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS...THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY AND THE FLOODSMART TEAM IN THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY /FEMA/. OTHER PARTNERS INCLUDE THE NATIONAL HYDROLOGIC WARNING COUNCIL...THE NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL...THE ASSOCIATION OF STATE FLOODPLAIN MANAGERS...VARIOUS RIVER AUTHORITIES...THE MEDIA...AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
DR. THOMAS GRAZIANO...CHIEF OF THE NWS HYDROLOGIC SERVICES DIVISION STATED...
POPULATION GROWTH...CLIMATE CHANGE...AND THE INCREASED INHABITATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF FLOOD PRONE REGIONS INCREASE THE FLOOD THREAT AND UNDERSCORE THE NEED FOR IMPROVED SCIENCE AND SERVICES TO MEET THE GROWING CHALLENGE AND PROVIDE DECISION MAKERS THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO MITIGATE THE LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY.EVERYDAY AMERICANS DEPEND ON RIVER AND FLOOD FORECASTS ISSUED BY NWS. CITIZENS LIVING ACROSS THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE NATION KEEP A CRITICAL EAR TO THESE FORECASTS IN THE LATE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING WHEN SNOW AND ICE CAN MELT QUICKLY... CAUSING ICE JAMS AND EXTENSIVE RIVER FLOODING. EACH SUMMER AND FALL...MILLIONS OF PEOPLE LIVING NEAR THE COAST LISTEN KEENLY TO TROPICAL WEATHER REPORTS TO DETRMINE IF THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD OR LIVELIHOOD WILL BE IMPACTED BY A FLOOD FROM A TROPICAL STORM OR HURRICANE. IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER...THE THREAT OF A FLASH FLOOD FROM A THUNDERSTORM IS ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY. IN THE WINTER... POWERFUL PACIFIC STORMS CAN POUND THE WEST COAST CAUSING EXTENSIVE FLOODING. NOAA/S NWS IS COMMITTED TO IMPROVING ITS SERVICES BY PROVIDING TIMELY AND ACCURATE RIVER AND FLOOD FORECASTS AND WARNINGS NECESSARY TO MOVE PEOPLE OUT OF HARM/S WAY AND OR SAVE VALUABLE RESOURCES.
EXTENSIVE INFORMATION ABOUT FLOODING AND FLOOD SAFETY...INCLUDING EDUCATION MATERIALS...VIDEOS...BROCHURES AND NEWS ARTICLES CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AT /USE LOWERCASE/
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/FLOODSAFETY/DETAILED INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THIS WEB PAGE ABOUT THE TOPICS COVERED IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS.
ADVANCED HYDROLOGIC PREDICTION SERVICETHE ADVANCED HYDROLOGIC PREDICTION SERVICE /AHPS/ IS AT THE CENTER OF THE HYDROLOGY PROGRAM IN NOAA/S NWS. AHPS COVERS EVERYTHING FROM FLOODS TO DROUGHTS. AHPS EXTENDS THE RANGE AND QUANTIFIES THE CERTAINTY OF NWS RIVER FORECASTS AND PROVIDES TIMELY...USER FRIENDLY TEXT AND GRAPHICAL PRODUCTS ON THE WEB. FOR EXAMPLE FLOOD INUNDATION MAPS FOR A GROWING NUMBER OF LOCATIONS ALLOW A USER TO SEE THE EXTENT OF FLOODING AT A GLANCE.
TURN AROUND...DON/T DROWN/I FEARED FOR MY LIFE BECAUSE I AM NOT A GOOD SWIMMER.../ STATED THE MOTORIST WHO WAS PULLED FROM THE FLOOD WATERS BY A SWIFT WATER RESCUE TEAM. HE WAS LUCKY. MANY ARE NOT. PEOPLE OFTEN UNDERESTIMATE THE FORCE OF WATER. MORE THAN HALF OF ALL FLOOD-RELATED DEATHS ARE VEHICLE RELATED... INCLUDING TRUCKS AND SUVS...WHICH ARE SWEPT DOWNSTREAM. MOST VEHICLES LOSE CONTACT WITH THE ROAD IN 6 INCHES OF WATER AND CAN BE SWEPT AWAY IN TWO FEET OF WATER. YELLOW WARNING SIGNS AND PINK INCIDENT SIGNS WHICH INCLUDE THE PHRASE /TURN AROUND...DON/T DROWN/ AND ARE COMPLIANT WITH THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS...CAN NOW BE DEPLOYED ON ROADWAYS WHERE FLOODING OCCURS.
REMEMBER...WHEN APPROACHING A FLOODED ROADWAY...MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DON/T DROWN.
FLOODS...DROUGHTS AND OTHER RELATED PHENOMENA.MANY PARTS OF THE NATION WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODS OR FLASH FLOODS THIS YEAR. IN OTHER SECTIONS IT WILL BE DRY. FROM FLOODS TO DROUGHTS...HYDROLOGIC EXTREMES OFTEN PLAGUE OUR VAST NATION. BARGE OPERATORS...DAM OPERATORS...THE EMERGENCY COMMUNITY...THE RECREATION COMMUNITY...THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY...AND MUNICIPALITIES ALL DEPEND OF RIVER AND FLOOD FORECASTS FROM NOAA/S NWS.
DETERMINING FLOOD RISK AND CHOOSING FLOOD INSURANCE.IF YOU THINK IT DOES NOT FLOOD IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD OR CLOSE TO WHERE YOU LIVE...THINK AGAIN. AN ENHANCED WEB PAGE DEVELOPED IN CONCERT BETWEEN FEMA AND THE NWS VISUALLY DEPICTS THE EXTENSIVENESS OF FLOODING ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. SCROLL TO FLOOD INSURANCE AND CLICK ON: FLOODS CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE. ARE YOU PREPARED?
HTTPS://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/FLOODSAFETYFLOOD LOSSES ARE NOT TYPICALLY COVERED IN HOMEOWNER INSURANCE POLICIES. HOWEVER FLOOD INSURANCE IS AVAILABLE TO PROPERTY OWNERS IN COMMUNITIES PARTICIPATING IN FEMA/S NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM. FEMA/S FLOODSMART CAMPAIGN PROMOTES THE IDEA THAT ALL AMERICANS SHOULD KNOW THEIR FLOOD RISK AND CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE FLOOD INSURANCE.
FLOOD SAFETYNOAA/S NWS...ALONG WITH GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS...INFORMS COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES ON HOW TO BECOME AWARE OF FLOOD RISKS AND REACT PROPERLY WHEN A FLOOD THREATENS. KNOWING WHAT TO DO BEFORE...DURING AND AFTER A FLOOD CAN SAVE LIVES AND REDUCE INJURIES AND PROPERTY DAMAGE.
WILL THE RED RIVER OF THE NORTH FLOOD AGAIN? WILL THE DEEP SOUTH EXPERIENCE HEAVY RAIN LIKE IT DID THIS PAST FALL? WILL ALASKA HAVE HEAVIER THAN NORMAL SNOWFALL...FOLLOWED BY RAPID SNOWMELT AND ICE JAMS? IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN. REGARDLESS...FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEIGHTEN PUBLIC AWARENESS OF FLOOD HAZARDS AND ENCOURAGE PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT FLOOD.
NATIONAL PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS ARE ONLINE AT /USE LOWERCASE/:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM $$ NNNN
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