NWS Director Addresses NEMA Gathering, Visits Pocatello WFO

NWS Director Jack Kelly addressed the National Emergency Managers Association (NEMA) at its annual conference in Big Sky, MT, September 10, 2001, the day before the catastrophic terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. NEMA is the professional association of state, Pacific, and Caribbean emergency management directors. Also attending the conference were emergency officials from locations in Canada and elsewhere.

Director Kelly's message to the emergency managers focused on weather services before, during, and after disasters, said John Ogren, NWS Headquarters Warning Coordination Meteorologist Program Manager. Kelly used a theme of "Services for all Disasters - Weather or Not" for his presentation and his remarks proved very timely as the week unfolded. He highlighted the services the NWS provides to its partners including warnings, forecasts, and outlooks to support emergency management's four main areas of preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.

Conference organizers had pre-arranged for the Great Falls WFO to assemble a team of meteorologists and computer equipment to assist any state emergency director during the time of the convention. "We welcomed this opportunity and provided computer workstations equipped with EMWIN, and also set up our systems so we had access to all of our products we normally would have at the forecast office," said Ken Mielke, MIC of the Great Falls WFO. "We were able to answer many questions about our operations in general and weather throughout the week."

Several NWS staff shared hosting responsibilities at the NWS exhibit. Those representing the agency included: Kim Bailey (MIC, WFO Missoula, MT) and Warning Coordination Meteorologists Rick Dittmann (WFO Great Falls, MT), Daniel Noah (WFO Bismark, ND), Tanja Fransen (WFO Glasgow, MT), Peter Felsch (WFO Missoula, MT), and Steve Kuhl (WFO Billings, MT).

During Kelly's remarks, he also presented StormReady signs to emergency management officials from Bozeman and Gallatin County, MT. Click here for photos from the NEMA conference. After his participation in the conference, Kelly visited the staff at the Pocatello, ID, WFO.

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Congressional Budget Activities Highlighted; Senate Passes FY 02 CJS Appropriation

The NOAA Legislative Affairs web page reports on NOAA and line office budget activities in Congress. Two NWS items of interest include:

• Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) on September 10, 2001, introduced legislation (HR 2868) to provide for overtime time for non-managerial weather forecasts. In his House floor statement, he said the bill seeks to alleviate the "problem by standardizing the overtime pay system...."http://www.legislative.noaa.gov/davisstatement091001.html
• Some positive comments made by Commerce Justice State Appropriations Committee Chair Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-SC) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), Ranking CJS Subcommittee Member. http://www.legislative.noaa.gov/sencjsfloordebate091001.html

Click here for our story on the July 18, 2001, budget passed by the House http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/fs072501.htm#Budget.

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The series of coordinated terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon on September 11, 2001, have caused the General Services Administration (GSA) to increase the security alert level in the Washington, DC, and New York City metropolitan areas to AlertLevel IV for GSA facilities, according to K. David Holmes, Jr., Commerce Deputy Assistant Secretary for Security. The alert level for all other regions has been increased to Level III. The Office of Security will follow the GSA guidance for Department of Commerce (DOC) owned and leased facilities. Alert Level III requires, at a minimum, that the measures listed below beimplemented.

• Display DOC identification in your facility. Challenge persons in your facility not wearing DOC identification.
• At the beginning and end of each workday and at frequent intervals, inspect the exterior and interior of your facility and report suspicious vehicles, abandoned parcels or suitcases, and any unusual activity to your guard force or local police.
• Review and understand your responsibilities under your facility Occupant Emergency Plan.
• Secure any buildings, rooms, or storage areas not in use.
• Require valid picture identification from all visitors.
• After normal business hours, ensure that all exterior lighting is in proper working condition.
• People who handle mail and deliveries should carefully examine packages for signs of letter or parcel bombs. All mail handlers should have received package identification training. This training may be arranged through your servicing security officer or the United States Postal Service.
• Check frequently with your child care center staff to keep them informed of any changes in the security situation.
• Keep employees informed of any changes in the security situation to stop rumors and to prevent unnecessary alarm.
• After normal duty hours, require employees and visitors to sign in and out on a building entry/exit log.

• All of the Alert Level III measures.
• Limit access to one entrance only. Where practical, control access electronically or with a contract guard.

• Inspect and search all packages, briefcases, and other containers being brought into the facility.
• Inspect all vehicles before they are allowed to park within 100 feet of the facility or under the facility.
• Institute or increase exterior patrols of the facility.
• Ensure that all officers are aware of their role in the Occupant Emergency Plan and other facility emergency procedures.

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The NWS is negotiating to receive an additional year of lightning strike data from Global Atmospherics, Inc. (GAI), of Tucson, AZ, exclusive operator of the National Lightning Detection Network. The new agreement will run for a one-year base period beginning October 1, 2001, and includes options for an additional two years. The August 15, 2001, announcement of the intent to negotiate the new contract is available on the web from GPO Access's online version of Commerce Business Daily.

GAI will provide lightning data for the entire contiguous United States and adjacent coastal waters and land areas out to a distance of 250 kilometers, as well as maritime data. The lightning data will be used by NWS and other Federal agencies, e.g., the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of the Interior, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, and the Department of Defense. GAI will communicate the lightning data to specified Governments sites for display, processing, and redistribution to additional Government sites. GAI has also agreed to maintain or permit the Government to maintain an archive of the lightning data.

This contract is intended to provide for a continuation of existing lightning data support and related services on an interim basis during which time NWS will be reassessing and redefining its requirements in this area. When those requirements are defined, the lightning data needed to meet those requirements will be provided by a contractor selected on a competitive basis.

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Rare Book Donated to NWS Headquarters

An original edition of a 1922 book, which is the foundation for weather forecasting today, was donated to the National Weather Service and is on display at agency headquarters. The book, Weather Prediction by Numerical Process, was written by Lewis F. Richardson, andis based on his experiments in numerical weather prediction during World War I.

Richardson conducted his numerical weather prediction experiments using primitive, sparse observations and tallying the calculations by hand. After he finished his manuscript, it was lost. The document was discovered later in a coal bin, and was eventually published. Charles Lenahan, an employee of the National Weather Service -- then called the Weather Bureau -- left instructions that when he died, a copy of the rare book was to be presented to the National Weather Service.

Lenahan's daughter, Ann Powers, presented the book to NWS Director Jack Kelly at NWS headquarters on September 6, 2001. For photos, click here.

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The Kindness of Others Abounds...

Not long ago, Don Sander, Facilities Engineer for RS Information Systems, working at the NWS Radar Operations Center (ROC) in Norman, OK, was overwhelmed by the kindness of his co-workers. Don was working to raise over $10,000 for the organization "Focus on the Family" by attempting to ride 5,200 miles for the organization's "Bike Ride for the Family."

His efforts were thwarted, however, because someone stole his bicycle from his driveway a couple of months earlier (a loss worth about $300 in equipment, but emotionally the toll was much higher). Don was discouraged but vowed to replace his bike and continue his journey. He had logged 1,256 miles before his bike was stolen. On the day he decided to take down the poster he'd placed in the breakroom charting his progress, his co-workers and employer surprised him with two checks totaling over $300 to replace his bicycle and continue towards his goal of raising money for the charity. His co-workers donated $110 and his employer, RSIS, donated $200.

According to Don, "It's the people you work with that determine the quality of your workplace. It's the people who are always going the extra mile to help others...that exemplify courtesy, caring, and excellence." He said the employees at the ROC are always showing kindness to others by participating in fundraisers, blood drives, and clothing drives. He summed it up by saying, "What a great place to work!"

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