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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
330 PM EST WED MAR 15 2006

TO:         FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...
            NOAA WEATHER WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...
            EMERGENCY MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK
            /EMWIN/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAAPORT SUBSCRIBERS... 
            OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ CUSTOMERS 
            AND PARTNERS...AND NWS EMPLOYEES

FROM:       LARRY WENZEL
            NWS NATIONAL HYDROLOGIC OUTREACH PROGRAM MANAGER

SUBJECT:    2006 FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK

NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL HOST THE SECOND ANNUAL 
FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK FROM MARCH 20-24 2006... TO RAISE 
PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE DANGERS OF FLOODING AND WAYS TO PROTECT 
LIFE AND PROPERTY. ON AVERAGE FLOODS KILL MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE 
AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR 4.6 BILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE IN THE 
UNITED STATES EACH YEAR. TO EMPHASIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODING... 
BRIG. GEN. DAVID L. JOHNSON... U.S. AIR FORCE /RET./... DIRECTOR 
OF NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATED...

      NO STATE OR TERRITORY IS IMMUNE FROM THE DANGERS
      OF FLOODING... BUT KNOWING HOW TO REACT WHEN FLOODS
      THREATEN CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND
      DEATH.

AS PART OF NOAA/S CONTINUING MISSION TO SERVE INCREASING NEEDS 
FOR WEATHER AND WATER INFORMATION... THE NATIONAL WEATHER 
SERVICE STRIVES TO IMPROVE FLOOD FORECASTS AND WARNINGS. DR. 
THOMAS GRAZIANO... ACTING CHIEF OF THE HYDROLOGIC SERVICES 
DIVISION AT NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATED...

      FROM ICE JAMS AND RAPIDLY MELTING SNOW TO
      TORRENTIAL THUNDERSTORMS TO SLOW-MOVING TROPICAL
      STORMS... FLOODS CAN BE A THREAT THROUGHOUT THE
      YEAR. EXTENSIVE AND PERSISTENT PUBLIC EDUCATION ON
      THE HAZARDS OF FLOODING IS KEY TO REDUCING THE LOSS
      OF LIFE AND PROPERTY AND IS THE GOAL OF FLOOD
      SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED DURING FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK THIS 
YEAR INCLUDE:

MONDAY MARCH 20: ADVANCED HYDROLOGIC PREDICTION SERVICE.
THE ADVANCED HYDROLOGIC PREDICTION SERVICE /AHPS/ IS AN ONGOING 
EFFORT OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TO MODERNIZE HYDROLOGIC 
SERVICES FOR EVENTS RANGING FROM FLOODS TO DROUGHTS. AHPS 
EXTENDS THE RANGE AND QUANTIFIES THE CERTAINTY OF NWS RIVER 
FORECASTS AND PROVIDES TIMELY... USER-FRIENDLY TEXT AND 
GRAPHICAL PRODUCTS ACCESSIBLE ON THE INTERNET.

TUESDAY MARCH 21: TURN AROUND... DON'T DROWN.
PEOPLE OFTEN UNDERESTIMATE THE FORCE OF WATER. MORE THAN HALF OF 
ALL FLOOD RELATED DEATHS ARE ATTRIBUTED TO VEHICLES THAT ARE 
SWEPT DOWNSTREAM. MANY OF THESE DROWNINGS ARE PREVENTABLE SIMPLY 
BY NOT DRIVING OR WALKING ONTO FLOODED ROADS. MOST VEHICLES LOSE 
CONTACT WITH THE ROAD IN SIX INCHES OF WATER AND CAN BE SWEPT 
AWAY IN 18-24 INCHES OF WATER. REMEMBER... WHEN APPROACHING A 
FLOODED ROADWAY: TURN AROUND... DON'T DROWN.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 22: FLOODING AND RELATED PHENOMENA.
A VARIETY OF FLOODING AND RELATED PHENOMENA PLACE ALL 50 STATES 
AND TERRITORIES AT RISK THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. TROPICAL CYCLONE 
INLAND FLOODING... SNOWMELT... ICE JAMS... AND DEBRIS FLOWS ARE 
JUST SOME OF THE FLOODING AND RELATED PHENOMENA WHICH POSE A 
THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY.

THURSDAY MARCH 23: DETERMINING FLOOD RISK AND FLOOD INSURANCE.
FLOOD LOSSES ARE NOT TYPCALLY COVERED IN HOMEOWNER INSURANCE 
POLICIES. HOWEVER... FLOOD INSURANCE IS AVAILABLE TO PROPERTY 
OWNERS IN COMMUNITIES PARTICIPATING IN THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY 
MANAGEMENT AGENCY /FEMA/ NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM. FEMA 
FLOOD HAZARD MAPS ENABLE CONSUMERS TO DETERMINE THEIR RISK AND 
CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE FLOOD INSURANCE.

FRIDAY MARCH 24: FLOOD SAFETY.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE... ALONG WITH GOVERNMENT AND 
PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS... INFORMS COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE UNITED 
STATES ON HOW TO BECOME AWARE OF FLOOD RISKS AND REACT PROPERLY 
WHEN A FLOOD THREATENS. KNOWING WHAT TO DO BEFORE... DURING AND 
AFTER A FLOOD CAN SAVE LIVES AND REDUCE INJURIES AND PROPERTY 
DAMAGE.

INFORMATION ON FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK... INCLUDING 
EDUCATION MATERIALS... VIDEOS... BROCHURES... AND NEWS ARTICLES 
CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/FLOODSAFETY/

NWS IS A LINE OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC 
ADMINISTRATION... AN AGENCY OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. 
NOAA IS DEDICATED TO ENHANCING ECONOMIC SECURITY AND NATIONAL 
SAFETY THROUGH THE PREDICTION AND RESEARCH OF WEATHER AND 
CLIMATE RELATED EVENTS AND PROVIDING ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP 
OF U.S. COASTAL AND MARINE RESOURCES. THROUGH THE EMERGING 
GLOBAL EARTH OBSERVATION SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS /GEOSS/... NOAA IS 
WORKING WITH ITS FEDERAL PARTNERS AND NEARLY 60 COUNTRIES TO 
DEVELOP A GLOBAL MONITORING NETWORK THAT IS AS INTEGRATED AS THE 
PLANET IT OBSERVES.

THIS AND OTHER NATIONAL PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS ARE 
AVAILABLE ONLINE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

      HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM

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