The Emergency "Weather" Manager

Emergency Managers and Meteorology  
As the Midwest was gripped with a significant severe storm situation yesterday, and with more significant severe weather forecast today, the issue of meteorological knowledge and the emergency manager comes to mind. Emergency managers must be a disaster Jack-of-All-Trades which means that they must be adroit at managing all risks and threats their jurisdiction can be confronted with. While many risks may be confronted from time to time, severe and extremes of weather are hazards which emergency managers must deal with on a regular basis. 

Meteorological Education and Training
How does the emergency manager collect, analyze, and understand meteorological information so as to implement an actionable course of action in advance of a severe weather event or during a sudden onset storm? To answer this the emergency manager should have formal training in the meteorological sciences. Training curricula designed to orient emergency managers to the basics of weather science, the nuances and characteristics of severe weather and extremes of weather, and best, proven practices in preparedness in advance of a significant weather event, actionable results-oriented response strategies, and effective and time-based recovery strategies can help emergency managers frame a significant weather program and moreover, have more than a rudimentary understanding of weather events as they are occurring. A number of training courses exist such as the FEMA Independent Study Course IS-271.A: Anticipating Hazardous Weather & Community Risk, 2nd Edition. This is a great start, however I would add to this formal classroom or webinar based training provided jointly by meteorologists who have a healthy understanding of the role, mandates, and stresses of the emergency management community and seasoned weather worn emergency management leaders. The National Weather Service (NWS) Warning Coordination Meteorologists (WCM) would be especially experienced and skilled at providing this training. Over the course of my career I have had the pleasure to work side-by-side with WCM's at five separate NWS forecast offices, each of which were highly skilled in coordinating with the emergency management community in a way that led to actionable approaches to weather events.

Meteorological Intelligence
Allow me to offer a number of approaches for emergency managers to consider in developing an actionable extreme weather program:

• Meteorological Intelligence Cell (MIC): Activated in advance of a significant weather event or immediately during a no-notice extreme weather event, the MIC will serve as technical analysis group which collects, analyzes, synthesizes, and produces user friendly weather and risk products for use by the emergency management community in planning and implementing an extreme weather response. Products developed would include extreme weather briefings and executive summaries, graphical products using GIS technology to predict the behavior of a storm or weather pattern, and then using the data to provide risk layers to develop GIS products which demonstrate population risk, critical infrastructure risk, potential power outages and associated risks such as vulnerable and special needs populations, and the graphical display of asset deployments such as human service/mass care teams, logistics packages, and utility trucks.  

• Staffing the MIC: A number of options exist with regard to staffing an MIC. For one, where funding permits, I am a proponent of emergency management agencies employing a meteorologist to serve as a senior advisor to the emergency management leadership team and to serve as the MIC leader. A strong relationship with the NWS WCM is necessary. The WCM, usually responsible for multiple counties and jurisdictions in a forecast area, can participate in the MIC virtually via webinar, video- or tele-conference. Another option resides in the university system. Teaming with universities with meteorologic and atmospheric science programs can be valuable in having meteorologists who might be researchers or educators, support an MIC as well as meteorologic and atmospheric science interns. I had a wonderful experience at one point with meteorological interns who worked the summer months, the peak of severe weather season. On a daily basis the interns ran a research project on public response to flood warnings, however during times of severe weather they staffed the EOC and provided technical advisement and products to the leadership team. Many agencies that emergency managers work with routinely also have meteorologists on staff. This may be transportation or environmental agencies, and others. These meteorologists should be leveraged and asked to be a part of the MIC on an as needed or rotational basis.

As with any other risk and hazard, emergency managers must make maximum use of the knowledge, skills, and abilities of people within and external to the emergency management organization to ensure that they have the maximum intelligence needed to develop effective course of actions for impending or occurring crises. Add in some formal training and the emergency manager becomes that more powerful as a crisis coordinator and leader.  

I look forward to your input and discussion on this and all blog topics.

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Steven Kuhr
Emergency Management Nexus
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Personal Preparedness 2.0

With the weather hazards of spring and summer upon us, hurricane season approaching, and with the ever present risk of terrorism and technical hazards, it seems like a good time to evaluate personal preparedness.  There have been many programs and much written over the past decade or so ago about personal preparedness.  Programs such as the DHS Ready website offer suggestions for making family emergency plans, assembling emergency kits, and storing emergency supplies.  The theme has typically been preparedness for 72 hours.  However, is 72 hours adequate?  In writing this piece let us assume that we all understand what belongs in a typical emergency kit such as canned food, flashlights, and a weather radio.  Having these items are crucial to lessening the hardships of disasters and in some cases actually increase the chance of survival in truly major events.  I would argue however, that 72 hours is insufficient especially in a catastrophic event which has affected multiple regions and a large population base.  In cases such as wide area earthquakes and hurricanes, or perhaps a mega-tornado swarm affecting multiple areas, perhaps even multiple states, government resources at all levels with be taxed as time continues to demonstrate.  While incidents such as these may seem rare, we need only look at recent major hurricanes and earthquakes to see that individuals need to be prepared for a greater period of time.  With this in mind, it would appear that a seven to ten day model of preparedness might be in order.  This can be accomplished by amplifying what we have in our 72 hours kits, especially for food items, water, medications and batteries.

It also seems logical to discuss personal preparedness in today’s high tech world.  The ready.wherever checklists generally do not discuss technology that may be at your fingertips for those of us with iO and Android smart phones, tablets and the like.  While I realize that the use of technology requires that infrastructure such as electrical, landline, and cellular systems remain operational, there are many tools in the technology tool box that you can have for immediate use.  While none of the suggestions below should be considered a commercial endorsement, here is a brief list of tech tools which you may find useful in disasters:

• Subscriber based Alerts – Be sure to subscribe to emergency alerts which may be available in your area.  These systems are generally managed by local emergency management agencies.    As a side note, smart phone users can expect government non-subscriber based Wireless Emergency Alerts for urgent weather alerts such as flood and tornado warnings which are intended to encourage users to take protective actions.

• Weather Apps – The use of NOAA Weather Radios are essential during significant weather events.  A number of apps exist which allow you to monitor NOAA National Weather Service Offices and their alerts.  A number of commercial weather apps are also available from our friends at The Weather Channel, Accu-Weather, Weather Underground and more, which provide timely and accurate information along with weather graphics.  Many also offer push alerting capability which allows you to receive weather watches and warnings.  There are also a number of radar apps which provide actionable information for emergency managers. 

• Flashlight apps – There are a number of flashlight apps which turn the phone’s light into a fairly intense beam.  Some of these apps also allow you to set various settings such as strobe light or flashing light type setting which can be used for safety or alerting.

• Communications Apps – The ability to communicate during a disaster is typically a challenge.  Today’s technology environment offers a number of options for voice and data communications.  For video chat and voice communications such as Voice over IP technology, apps such as Skype and Tango offer voice and video chat options.  The Google+ app also allows you to do a “Hangout” which is essentially a video chat.  The social media apps we use every day such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn also provide a number of communications options.  Whatsapp is a user friendly communications tool which allows text messaging over non-cellular based internet such as WiFi.  This means that if cellular systems are down and you are fortunate to have internet access this and a number of other apps will function.  A number of walkie-talkie apps such as Voxer offer push-to-talk voice communications.  

• Portable Energy – We all know how quickly our smart phones consume battery life.  Today’s emergency kits should also include a portable energy source for charging smart phones.  One simply needs to search for portable cellular charger to find a number of commercial options.

As with all apps, every app has its strengths and weaknesses. The use of some of these apps also require some planning such as ensuring that family members know to have video chat or walkie talkie apps turned on.  

Today’s high tech world offers a number of options which can help us navigate the difficulties of a major emergency or disaster.

Steven Kuhr

Emergency Management Nexus

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30 Days!

Today is May 1.  Hurricane season is just a short 30 days away.  Our friends at Colorado State University, who have been making hurricane predictions for 30 years, suggest that the 2013 Atlantic season will be above average with 18 named storms.  Their report indicates that nine of these storms will reach hurricane status and that four of these will become major hurricanes.

It is not too late to make plans and design programs and protective measures to safeguard people and property.  For government agencies, you can work closely with your jurisdiction's Emergency Management Agency (EMA) to build capability to monitor storms, support overall response and recovery efforts, and to build capacity to protect your agency's operations, people, and assets. Similarly, businesses can work with their EMA to support response efforts.  Many EMAs are now integrating businesses into emergency responses through Business Emergency Operations Centers or simply by having businesses represented on planning councils and in the Emergency Operations Center during a crisis.  Businesses should focus on protective measures for their workforce and material assets and resiliency through business continuity strategies.

Storms repeatedly demonstrate the destruction they can bring.  Spending some time now to prepare and make plans can help reduce risk to people and property.

Steven Kuhr
Emergency Management Nexus
skuhr.blogspot.com

App Technology! RadarScope

From time to time I will discuss smartphone and tablet apps that have application to emergency management.  The apps I discuss will be cross platform meaning they can be used on both Android and iPhone/iPad devices.  The app reviews and narratives are not a commercial endorsement for the apps therefore I suggest that you explore the universe of apps when making your decision.

Today we will review RadarScope

RadarScope displays weather radar in near real time thus allowing emergency managers and meteorologists to share a common severe weather common operating picture.  It costs a few bucks unlike other similar apps but I believe it is worth having this data available especially when managing severe weather outbreaks.  Some features include multiple radar products including various reflective and velocity models, rainfall displays, and more.  The map based product allows you to select specific radar sites thus allowing you to refine the areas you are monitoring.  I found this app especially useful during mesocyclone events and multi-region severe weather/tornado outbreaks. The app also displays weather warnings nationally as they occur.  As mentioned, there are a number of other weather apps some of which are free to download so check them out and make your decision accordingly. I use multiple apps to monitor severe weather but RadarScope was worth mentioning as good tool for the emergency manager's tool box.

Steven Kuhr
Emergency Management Nexus
skuhr.blogspot.com

Earthquake Legislation

An April 18, 2013 Los Angeles Times article entitled "Sweeping earthquake safety rules imposed in San Francisco", should be of particular interest to emergency managers.  The article describes new legislation that requires wood frame buildings, such as those which became an icon of infrastructure damage in the Marina District during the 1989 Bay Area earthquake, be retrofitted to make the supporting structural elements seismically resilient.  This action is iconic of the public policy tightrope we walk between enabling legislation such as this which can in some cases amount to an unfunded mandate, and simply doing the right thing as a measure of life saving mitigation.  The bottom line is that the goal of legislation such as this appears to be the reduction of structural collapse risk and loss of life, and to reduce disaster recovery costs in a post-earthquake period.  The question of who is paying for this is afoot as one would expect. The article suggests that after a long period of debate, to their credit, property owners endorsed the measure which led to an 11-0 vote by the city board of supervisors.  If this is accurate, this is sound public disaster policy and something emergency managers nationally should take notice of as we work to design public policy associated with local risks and hazards.

Steven Kuhr
Emergency Management Nexus
skuhr.blogspot.com

Nice Spring Day... or is it?

It's a gorgeous spring day here in New York and much of the northeast.  The beautiful sunshine and warmth of this great afternoon should be enjoyed and relished.  It must however not be lost upon those of us in emergency management and to those of us we serve in our communities and businesses that the same season that brings us this great afternoon is also fraught with weather hazards.  We are currently in the season that often brings with it fire weather danger, severe weather, tornadoes flooding; and, of course hurricane season is right around the corner.  This year forecasters are calling for 16 named storms with five of those reaching major hurricane status. Our friends at the The Weather Channel have a brief video on this year's season.  We will be talking about the hurricane preparedness much more in the coming weeks.

Enjoy the weather and let's keep in mind that we have much work to do to prepare for current weather threats and the upcoming season.

Be safe out there  . . .

Steven Kuhr
Emergency Management Nexus
skuhr.blogspot.com

Emergency Managers Recognized!

Virginia Secretary of Public Safety Marla Decker should be commended for publicly recognizing Virginia emergency managers and other responders for their actions during a tornado event.  See "Emergency management employees honored for tornado work".  All too often emergency managers are overlooked when it comes to recognition but why is that?  Perhaps it is because emergency managers typically operate out of site, in an Emergency Operations Center and not at the scene of an incident along side our uniformed brothers and sisters.  However, emergency managers serve at the cross roads of an incident, especially for the big picture approach we have from our EOC, and the ability to link a major incident response to the vast pool of stakeholders usually needed to resolve a major emergency or disaster.

Our hats off to the Secretary Decker and Emergency Management Director Harris.

Steven Kuhr

Emergency Management Nexus

skuhr.blogspot.com

Welcome to Emergency Management Nexus!

Welcome to Emergency Management Nexus at skuhr.blogspot.com.  I use the term "Nexus" as the intent of this blog is to serve as a forum for thought leadership, critical thinking, and comprehensive dialogue on emerging and pressing issues in Emergency Management, Crisis Leadership, Homeland Security, and Business Continuity.  As our profession continues to evolve and as the profession advances with emerging concepts, new technologies, and ever evolving national themes in emergency preparedness, crisis response, and disaster recovery, I hope to stimulate dialogue among the broad members of the emergency management community.

Welcome to Emergency Management Nexus....  Your thoughts and insights are welcome.  I look forward to stimulating conversation.

Steven Kuhr

Emergency Management Nexus

skuhr.blogspot.com

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