Exploratory Review: Information Dissemination Flow of Tropical Cyclone Information

1. Exploratory Review: Information Dissemination Flow of Tropical Cyclone Information Mr. Mark Welshinger, Senior Staff Meteorologist, OFCM Dr. Betty Hearn Morrow, Science and Technology Corporation (OFCM Support Contractor) and Consulting Sociologist

2. Overview • Background • Exploratory Review • Major Observations • Follow-on Considerations • Summary • Next Steps

3. Background • Exploratory review supported by: • ICMSSR Action Item 2004-2.6 • ICMSSR strongly supported the 58th Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference (IHC) action to develop a tropical cyclone strategic research plan • 60th Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference action (3/2006) • Nation’s hurricane warning program warranted a review • Review all elements of the full end-to-end “system” • Information dissemination key component of “system” • Interagency Strategic Research Plan for Tropical Cyclones: The Way Ahead • Recommendation from Table 6.2 • NOAA (including OFCM), along with Federal agencies, should continue to review and improve the Nation’s hurricane warning program

4. Background Focus, Emphasis, Objective • Focus: information flow and receipt of tropical cyclone information • Emphasis:tropical cyclone information flow from emergency management community to the various organizations/entities and citizens of a community • Objective • Understand and document information flow • Summarize information flow requirements and gaps • Provide follow-on considerations to improve flow that would aid in saving lives, reducing injuries and protecting property

5. Background Methodology • Chose two locations that were prone to tropical cyclones • Mobile County, Alabama • Charleston County, South Carolina • Federal Coordinator: • Sent letters seeking support • Mayors of Mobile and Charleston • County Commissioners • Emergency management leaders • Formed two teams • On-site visits to both locales • Mobile: December 2006 • Charleston: January 2007

6. Background Teams Conducting Exploratory Review Mobile County Charleston County

7. Background – Mobile County

8. Background – Charleston County

9. Background Efforts to Improve Public Alert and Warning System • Some references: • Partnership for Public Warning (PPW)—a partnership between the private sector, academia, and government entities at the local, state and Federal level • Issued 2003 report entitled, A National Strategy for Integrated Public Warning Policy and Capability • Congressional Research Service report for Congress, September 2006 • Emergency Communications: The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and All-Hazard Warnings • GAO report to Congressional Committees in March 2007 • Current Emergency Alert System Has Limitations, and Development of a New Integrated System Will Be Challenging • Executive Order issued on June 26, 2006

10. Background Efforts to Improve Public Alert and Warning System • FEMA’s Office of National Security Coordination (ONSC) is leading federal efforts to improve system • Exec Agent for national–level Emergency Alert System (EAS) • Program Manager for Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) initiative • EAS is a component of IPAWS • Other agencies/entities involved: • FCC, Department of Justice, DOI/USGS, DHS/Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection (IAIP), PPW, Association of Public Television Stations (APTS), NOAA, other public and private organizations

11. Background Efforts to Improve Public Alert and Warning System • Under the IPAWS umbrella, there are several pilot projects to help develop an integrated public alert and warning system. Some of the pilot projects are: • Digital Emergency Alert System (DEAS) • DEAS involves: • Use of digital capabilities from public radio and television stations and other networks • Voluntary participation of public and commercial radio and television broadcasters; satellite radio, cable, and Internet providers; cell phone service providers; and equipment manufacturers • Provide alert and warning information to disaster support personnel and the public • By Dec 2007, all public broadcasting stations (over 300 nationwide) are to be DEAS-enabled

12. Background Efforts to Improve Public Alert and Warning System • Other IPAWS pilot projects: • Geo-Targeted Alerting System (GTAS) • GTAS demonstrates and tests ability to provide targeted warning down to individual households and businesses via cell phones, landline phones, pagers, desktop computers, sirens, and other geo-aware devices • Pilot is planned to end in 2007 with an end product being a national GTAS deployment plan • DHS Web Alert and Relay Network • Enables officials at each level of government (federal, state, and local) to send and receive messages using Web technologies • Started in 2005 and should expand Nation-wide by 2011

13. Background Efforts to Improve Public Alert and Warning System • Other IPAWS pilot projects: • NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) • Provides for upgrades to the NWR network and the purchasing of NWR receivers for public schools • To date, approximately 97,000 placed in public schools—covers every public school in America • Additional 42,000 placed into other schools

14. Background Efforts to Improve Public Alert and Warning System Integrated Alert and Warning System “One message over more channels to more people at all times and places” IPAWS Framework Based upon the premise of providing alert and warning messaging in a coordinated manner, over as many platforms as possible, to ensure the widest dissemination and public receive capabilities FEMA’s Vision of an Integrated Alert and Warning System

15. Exploratory Review Communications Capability, Mobile County * Dial-Logic is automated dialing system for making direct calls to small areas

16. Exploratory Review Communications Capability, Charleston County * Case workers of public housing authority go door-to-door to ensure clients are aware of tropical cyclone threats

17. Major Observations • The majority of citizens receive tropical cyclone information through one or more communications means: • Media: television, radio, newspaper • Computer (Internet, e-mail [e.g., Neighborhood Association]) • NOAA Weather Radio • Need to continue efforts to ensure the following citizens receive vital tropical cyclone information: • Poor, elderly, the disabled, non-English speaking and individuals with medical concerns • Those in outlying areas

18. Major Observations Ongoing Local Efforts • Mobile County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) effort to ensure elderly and disabled receive tropical cyclone information • Emergency officials, local NGOs and Volunteer Mobile teamed up to create a special-needs registry • Valuable tool used by Mobile County EMA to improve disability-related emergency planning and readiness • Help meet needs of those with medical and mobility challenges • Names, addresses, medical impairment and caregiver information, and emergency contacts for ~ 10,000 special needs citizens • About 4 days before a storm makes landfall, officials and volunteers will call down the list and make sure everyone is informed and has a plan for evacuation • Robust, targeted, GIS-linked, two-way system would greatly benefit

19. Major Observations Ongoing Local Efforts • City of Charleston has 100 neighborhood associations • Interact with mayor’s office on regular basis • Association officers notified during emergencies • Help identify neighbors for special needs registry • Permanent signs installed at pickup locations for public transportation during evacuations • Most officials / responding agencies have satellite phones • GIS-based Reverse 911 system for small area emergencies

20. Follow-on Considerations • Mobile and Charleston Counties prime candidates for early inclusion in pilot projects under umbrella of the IPAWS • Digital Emergency Alert System • Geo-Targeted Alerting System • DHS Web Alert and Relay Network • As Mobile and Charleston Counties are brought into the pilot projects: • Pertinent information / lessons learned at county level should be provided to points of contact for various IPAWS projects

21. Follow-on Considerations • Use of NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) to disseminate evacuation notices as well as tropical cyclone and other weather warnings should be utilized as much as possible • Currently, NWR would be most effective where the population speaks English or Spanish • NWR should be placed in locations where people congregate • Community-based organizations (e.g., churches, civic groups, Neighborhood Associations) should be encouraged to form notification call trees to further disseminate information • Reinforcement and conveyance of weather messages from a trusted source can help spur appropriate action from citizens • Can also serve as sources for populating databases of those within special-needs community

22. Follow-on Considerations • Mobile and Charleston Counties and the entire network of public and private entities involved in improving the public alert and warning system must continue to account for the entire demographics of the at-risk population • Especially the poor, elderly, the disabled, non-English speaking and individuals with medical concerns • Ensure the entire at-risk population has a mechanism to receive tropical cyclone information and take the necessary actions to protect property, reduce injuries and save lives • Need robust, targeted, GIS-linked, two-way system • Nationally developed, locally executed • Coupled to locally-developed registry

23. Summary • From 2007 GAO report: • There are difficulties involved in making alerts accessible to non-English speakers and to the disabled that will likewise be barriers to the development of an integrated alert and warning system • Congressional Research Service has observed that incorporating technologies that expand the reach of alerts for people with special needs, such as those with disabilities, the elderly, and those who do not understand English, at a reasonable cost, is one of the challenges of delivering an effective warning system that is truly nationwide • There are challenges, but it is exactly these challenges that must not get overlooked as the public alert and warning system is improved

24. Next Steps • Draft, coordinate and finalize report • Draft completed August 2007 • Exploratory review was first step in end-to-end review of the National hurricane warning “system;” next step is: • Form a Joint Action Group to review message content of tropical cyclone alerts and warnings : • Recommend methodologies to review message content • Recommend modifications to message content • Seek ICMSSR support for new JAG

25. QUESTIONS?