Straight Talk:
Gag Me Not

As a federally funded agency we have a responsibility to be responsive to media at all levels. Recently, there's been buzz about what to do when national media calls -- and in some cases keeps calling. The short answer is "Business as usual."

There's nothing new with NWS, NOAA, and DOC procedures--if you get a request from a national reporter that goes beyond a need for routine, local, non-controversial information contact your Public Affairs Officer (PAO). This is, and has been, our procedure—it's not a change. Your PAO is a resource and can do a lot of the background work so you don't have to. Just as important, the PAOs share information up, down, and across the chain so leadership, and others who need to know, are not surprised by media stories.

Likewise, we have a responsibility to inform NOAA leadership and NOAA Public Affairs of any publications which have the potential to be controversial or to raise interest in the media. Being diligent in this will help us maintain the straightforward and practical policy approach we have taken in the NWS employee papers directive. As far as I can tell, NWS Directive 100-1, "Clearances for NWS Employee Papers" (see http://www.nws.noaa.gov/directives/100/pd10001a.pdf) has been an effective means of establishing clearance procedures and accurately marking papers authored by NWS employees so readers can know whether the paper reflects the official positions of NWS or only reflects the views of the author.

We have a good, sensible approach to communicating externally – let's keep it that way.

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Ask the Director:
Wireless Broadband Potential

by General D.L. Johnson
NWS Director

I recently heard a suggestion that we should be looking at wireless broadband using public broadcast radio frequencies, as a means for providing warnings to wireless users and cementing the importance of NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards.

We're working with the NOAA Strategic Plan to develop and infuse research results and new technologies more efficiently to improve products and services, streamline dissemination, and communicate vital information. We are working with private industry, universities, and national and international agencies to create and leverage partnerships that foster more effective information services. We provide our watches and warnings in Internet protocol-ready format so the private sector can directly provide the information to wireless and internet customers. For example, XM Satellite Radio has developed a free of charge dedicated channel – 247 - "XM Emergency Alert." Using information provided by NWS, they are providing weather and emergency information. This was used heavily during the recent hurricanes to provide weather watches/warnings, and FEMA and American Red Cross information to persons in the affected areas.

We are also working with the Department of Homeland Security to integrate our family of NWS dissemination systems into an integrated public alert and warning system. We strive to improve our product dissemination through wireless and other technologies to make enhancement to the NWS's ability to save lives and property. Thank you for your question.

If you have a question for the Director, send it to NWS.Focus@noaa.gov. While we won't be able to get to all the questions all the time, we'll try to answer the "hot" ones and the ones that enable the most people to gain understanding and perspective.

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Additional Tsunami-Detecting Buoy Stations Deployed in Pacific

On September 26 and 29, the National Data Buoy Center and NOAA Research Vessel MELVILLE successfully deployed two new Deep-Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) stations off the California coast.

Both stations, 46411 and 46412 (Central and Southern California, respectively), are DART I systems and are reporting water levels to the tsunami warning centers. NWS now has 10 DART stations maintained by the U.S. that are operational in the Pacific Ocean.

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NOAA Boulder Laboratories Merge

Five research laboratories located in Boulder, CO, part of NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), merged into one laboratory – the Earth System Research Laboratory – on Oct. 1, 2005.

The reorganization of NOAA's research enterprise is the result of a research review conducted by a team of scientists from NOAA as well as from universities and outside research organizations.

Read more about the merger here.

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Partnership Saved Lives During Hurricane Rita

Since hurricane Rita crashed ashore last month along the southwest Louisiana – southeast Texas coastline NWS Southern Region forecasters and partners are amazed at the extraordinarily low death toll from such a powerful storm. To date, only two deaths have been directly attributed to the storm.

Steve Rinard, Meteorologist-In-Charge of the Lake Charles, LA, Weather Forecast Office, attributes the low death toll to strong partnerships within the emergency management community.

"We can only credit that minimal loss of life to the planning, cooperation and close working relationship between our agency and the vast interrelated group of state, parish, county and local emergency managers and responders," Rinard said.

Compared to the estimated 500 – 600 souls lost when Hurricane Audrey struck the same general area almost 50 years ago, Rinard says direct fatalities related to Hurricane Rita will remain remarkably low. There have been deaths resulting from carbon monoxide poisoning (generators in enclosed areas), isolated falling trees, medical and transportation issues; but, fatalities directly related to wind, storm surge, flooding and tornadoes near point of landfall will remain at rock bottom.

Perhaps this low number is partly a result of the very recent and much publicized Hurricane Katrina strike in the New Orleans/Biloxi area -- or Rita's mid Gulf of Mexico status as a brief category 5 hurricane. Or, perhaps this minimal loss of life is also directly related to the recent modernization of the National Weather Service and the close partnerships developed with the emergency management/response community and the media. Forecasts, emergency response procedures and the flow of critical information relating to Gulf Coast hurricane threat to the public, industry and media have improved significantly the last eight to 10 years.

Hurricane conferences, hurricane hunter aircraft tours, mutual aid associations, emergency management/responder workshops, table-top drills, civic club meetings school tours and open house sessions are just some of the means used to keep the public informed before, during and after big weather events – such as hurricanes.

Award Nominations Sought

Nominations for the 2005 Donald L. Scantlebury Memorial Award are due at NWS Headquarters by November 14, 2005. This award recognizes senior financial management executives who, through outstanding and continuous leadership in financial management, have been principally responsible for significant economies, efficiencies, and improvements in federal, state or local government. The following URL contains additional information, submission requirements, and specific criteria: http://www.cfoc.gov/documents/Scantlebury.pdf.

To make a nomination, submit an original and an electronic copy of the nomination documents to: Denise Hamilton, SSMC #2, Room 18330, W/CFO3, Silver Spring, MD 20910. All nominations will be reviewed and endorsed by the NWS Assistant Administrator before forwarding to NOAA. If you have any questions, please contact denise.hamilton@noaa.gov or call her at (301) 713-1698, extension 134.

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Snapshots

Click here for a look at photos we've received from around the NWS.