SWAW--NOAA Weather Alert Radios

Weather Alert Radios, the Smoke Detector's for Tornado Alley

The National Weather Service disburses its most current forecasts, warnings, and watches through NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio 24 hours a day, seven days a week. NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio can alert listeners to dangerous weather situations in areas as large as states, or as small as specific counties within the listening area. Most importantly, specially equipped receivers are activated by tone alert, to warn you of hazards day and night.

Early warning of hazardous conditions is a critical component to every community's preparedness plan. Kansas City area emergency managers, working together as a group called the Metropolitan Emergency Managers Committee (MEMC) felt so strongly in this component that they partnered in 2002 with Price Chopper grocers, and Midland radio, to launch Project Community Alert (PCA for short). PCA has made NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio receivers available for cost at metro area Price Chopper grocery stores.

In the program's first two years, close to 30,000 NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio receivers have been sold in the Metro Kansas City area. PCA has also expanded into the Sedalia area, where around 6,000 receivers have been distributed. In late 2003, the MEMC made a decision to make PCA available to any jurisdiction across the United States that wanted the ability to make an at-cost NOAA Weather Radio purchase program available for their residents. The non-profit group, PCAUSA, Inc., was formed to help bring PCA nationwide in 2004.

Are you a local emergency manager or public safety official, and would like more information on bringing PCA to your community? You can find more information on the expanding PCA program by checking out preparemetrokc.org

NOAA Weather Radio receivers are also available in many other retail outlets, as well as on the Internet. The key to a good receiver is finding one equipped with S.A.M.E. technology, and one that has battery-backup capability.

SWAW--Thunderstorm Safety

THUNDERSTORM SAFETY

Hail remains one of the most costly severe weather phenomena observed in the United States every year. Damage from hail not only occurs to crops, but also to homes, vehicles and businesses.

Hailstorms produce around $2 billion worth of property damage each year. Damaging hail the size of golf balls or larger occur with the strongest of all thunderstorms, and hail will usually accompany tornadic thunderstorms. Remain alert for severe thunderstorm warnings from the National Weather Service, and use this valuable information to protect your property from the threat of hail.

If caught outdoors during a hailstorm, seek shelter in a reinforced building as quickly as possible. The key to personal safety in a hailstorm is to protect yourself from the falling hailstones. Hail rarely kills people, but it can become a killer if precautions are not taken. In China in May of 1986, intense hail killed 100 people, injured 9000, and destroyed 35,000 homes.

Damaging winds come in many forms, sometimes from squall lines of thunderstorms and other times in the form of downburst winds. The most frequently encountered type of damaging straight-line wind in a thunderstorm is that associated with the leading edge of the rain-cooled outflow, known as the gust front. Although most thunderstorm outflow winds range from 30 to 50 mph, on occasion these winds can exceed 60 mph. These outflow winds typically last 5 to 15 minutes. Sometimes, the strongest winds are not associated with the gust front, but rather occur behind the gust front in close proximity to the area of heaviest rain.

When these winds are potentially damaging to structures on the ground, or to aircraft in flight, these winds are referred to as downbursts. Dr. Theodore Fujita of the University of Chicago, is credited with discovering downbursts in the mid 1970s, following investigation of the crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 66 in New York. There are two types of downbursts: microbursts produce strong winds less than 2.5 miles in diameter, while macrobursts result in strong winds over an area 2.5 miles in diameter or larger. Downbursts occur with all types of thunderstorms, from single cells to supercells. In fact, the most damaging downbursts often are produced by weaker, benign-looking storms. Downburst-producing storms often give little advance indications of the imminent danger on weather radar or to the spotter, so warnings are difficult to issue. Once the strong winds reach the ground, Doppler Radar can frequently detect the stronger winds, but the threat of additional damaging winds may be over.

While downbursts are typically produced within a single thunderstorm cell, occasionally many storms will organize into a squall line and produce damaging winds over a much larger area for a period of an hour or longer. Damaging winds of this type are known as Bow Echoes, since a portion of the squall line accelerates, or "bows" out in an easterly direction. Supercell storms also occasionally develop into Bow Echoes. In extreme cases, straight-line winds in a Bow Echo can approach 150 mph, stronger than about 80% of all tornadoes! Since Bow Echoes produce distinctive radar echoes and last 1 to 3 hours (sometimes longer), National Weather Service meteorologists can often provide considerable advance warning.

All severe thunderstorms have the potential to produce damaging winds and large hail. Count on your local National Weather Service office for the latest information regarding these weather hazards.

SWAW--Flood Safety

With the heavy snow in the northern Plains and spring melt beginning this is a very timely message on Flood Safety from the NWS. ~ CS

FLASH FLOODING AND FLOOD SAFETY

Turn Around, Don't Drown!!

Tornadoes and Severe Thunderstorms are the first things that come to mind as a severe weather threat, but flooding also deserves plenty of attention. In the past ten years, flooding has accounted for 14 deaths and $41 million in damage in Kansas. In Missouri, flooding has resulted in 46 deaths and $147 million in property damage since 1995. These numbers compare very close to the number of tornadoes deaths (15 and 31) and tornado damage ($208 million and $136 million) across both states respectively during the same time period.


When these warnings are issued for your area, or the moment you realize that a flash flood is imminent, act quickly to save yourself. YOU MAY ONLY HAVE SECONDS WHEN FLOODING THREATENS!


How do flash floods occur?


Several factors contribute to flash flooding. The two key elements are rainfall intensity and duration. Intensity is the rate of rainfall, and duration is how long the rain lasts. Topography, soil conditions, and ground cover also play an important role. Most flash floods are caused by slow-moving thunderstorms or thunderstorms repeatedly moving over the same area.


When a Flood or Flash Flood WATCH is issued, be alert to signs of flash flooding and be ready to evacuate on a moment's notice.


When a Flash Flood WARNING is issued for your area, or the moment you realize that a flash flood is imminent, act quickly to save yourself.


Immediately:


- Get out of areas subject to flooding. This includes dips, low spots, and low water crossings.
- Do not attempt to walk across flowing streams. Water moving swiftly, even just 6 inches deep, can sweep
   you off your feet.
- Be aware that the road bed may not be intact under the water.
- Do not underestimate flood waters. Remember: Turn Around, Don't Drown! Go another way. NEVER
  drive through flooded roads or low water crossings.
- Be cautious at night when flooding is hard to recognize. Also, be aware that storms that are miles away may
  bring raging water your way.


NOAA’s National Weather Service will hold its annual National Flood Safety Awareness week campaign March 17-21, 2008. Each day of the week will highlight a different element of the flood awareness program:

SWAW--Tornado Safety

TORNADO SAFETY

IN HOMES OR SMALL BUILDINGS: Go to the basement (if available) or to an interior room on the lowest floor, such as a closet or bathroom. Upper floors are unsafe. If there is no time to descend, go to a closet, a small room with strong walls, or an inside hallway. Wrap yourself in overcoats or blankets to protect yourself from flying debris.


IN SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, FACTORIES, OR SHOPPING CENTERS: Go to interior rooms and halls on the lowest floor. Stay away from glass enclosed places or areas with wide-span roofs such as auditoriums and warehouses. Crouch down and cover your head. Don't take shelter in halls that open to the south or the west. Centrally-located stairwells are good shelter.

IN HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS: Go to interior small rooms or halls. Stay away from exterior walls or glassy areas.

IN MOBILE HOMES: ABANDON THEM IMMEDIATELY! Most deaths occur in cars and mobile homes. If you are in either of those locations, leave them and go to a substantial structure or designated tornado shelter.

IN VEHICLES: IF POSSIBLE, DRIVE AWAY! If not, get into a sturdy shelter (building). As a last resort, you need to make a personal decision whether to ride it out in your car hunched down below the windows with your SEATBELT ON, or to lie flat in the nearest ditch or depression with your hands covering your head.

IF NO SUITABLE STRUCTURE IS NEARBY: Lie flat in the nearest ditch or depression and use your hands to cover your head. Be alert for flash floods.

DURING A TORNADO: Absolutely avoid buildings with large free-span roofs. Stay away from west and south walls. Remember, seek shelter on the lowest level, go to the smallest room, and center part of the building.

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS:  No matter where you are, do some advance planning if possible. Identify protective areas you can get to in a hurry. Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio that will provide an alarm if a tornado watch or warning is in effect for your county. The key to tornado survival is to be prepared and to take immediate action when a warning is issued or when you spot a tornado. Remember, the actions you take during a tornado may save your life and the lives of your family.

SWAW--Svr Wx Preparedness

How to Prepare Your Family for Severe Weather

Severe weather will happen, and eventually it will affect you in some way. So the only thing you can do is to try and be prepared the best you can. In some cases, there are no easy answers to the many questions and problems that can arise. You simply have to prepare for your situation with the resources you have available. The first thing to do is develop a preparedness plan. But before you get into the details of your plan, there are some initial steps you should take.

Step 1: Identify the severe weather hazards you may face.

In the Central United States , severe thunderstorms are a fact of life. These storms can produce tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, large hail, and heavy rain that can produce flash flooding. At some point in your life, you will likely be faced with one of these hazards.

Step 2: Set up your plan.

Everyone should have a severe weather plan for their home. Likewise, businesses need to have a plan for the workplace. There will be similarities, but there will also be differences between the two. Following are some ideas that can be applied to both.

1. Establish who is responsible for the plan. Someone needs to be in charge. For a large workplace that runs several shifts, you may have several people responsible for the plan.

2. How will you receive weather warnings? NOAA Weather Radio is a great way to receive severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service. You can also get information from the commercial media, such as radio and television. The Internet is also a great way to get information. However, do not depend solely on one method. Have multiple ways to receive critical weather information.

3. If you receive a weather warning such that you need to activate your plan, how will you inform the people you are responsible for? In a home that should not be a problem, but in a large workplace you have to have a method for communicating the severe weather information to everyone present.

4. Establish shelters area in your home or workplace. Depending on the amount of people who need to be sheltered, multiple areas may be needed. If your home or building is in an area prone to flooding, you need to have an evacuation plan in place.

Step 3: Practice your plan!

Conduct drills and then review the drill to find strengths and weaknesses and make improvements where necessary. It is hard to foresee every circumstance, but drills can often bring out problems that were not previously seen.

Some things you can do to protect your family include:

• Have a family disaster plan. A plan will cover what to do, where to meet, and how to contact family members in the event of a fire or severe weather. Make sure all family members know about the family emergency plan. Give emergency information to babysitters and other caregivers.

• Put together an emergency supply kit for your home, for your office, your car, and one for your child at school. A kit should have bottled water, a radio with extra batteries, a flashlight, prescription medicine and first aid supplies.

• Purchase a generator for your home or business. A generator will provide heat during a power outage in cold weather. It will also keep your food from spoiling, and lights on. A generator can keep life safety health equipment functioning (ventilators, oxygen, monitors, or keep insulin cool) during a power outage. Remenber though to always follow the instructions when using a generator. For example, never use a generator in a closed structure. The engine gives off deadly carbon monoxide gas . Always place the generator outside.

• Make sure all family members know all possible ways to exit your home and where to meet outside the house. Keep all exits clear.

• Conduct a tornado, fire and earthquake drill once every six months.

• Choose a place for your family to meet after a disaster in case you are at work or school when the disaster happens.

• Know how to contact your children at their school or daycare and where you can pick them up after a disaster. Designate a specific person to pick up your child if you cannot. Make sure the school or daycare has the most current emergency release information.

• Have a tone-alert weather radio to receive severe weather warnings. Also have a portable radio with extra batteries incase there are power outages. This allows you to get the most current weather and emergency information quickly.

• Learn first aid and CPR.

• In the event of a flood, tornado or earthquake, learn how to shut off your water, gas and electricity. Know where to find the shut-off valves and switches.

• Keep a small amount of cash on hand. If the power is out, ATM machines will not work.