Number 32, February 2002

WeatherZine News

The George Washington University
EMSE 232 - Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter

The EMGT 232 Disaster Newsletter is produced by the students in the Fall 2001 class EMGT 232: Crisis and Emergency Management at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. The purpose of The EMGT 232 Disaster Newsletter is to provide its readers with a current perspective of activities in the disaster management field in the United States and around the world. The Newsletter includes information on current disaster management trends in the areas of research, funding, technology, legislation, and consulting. This information is provided in brief summaries of current activities accompanied by a computer link or reference to more detailed information.

Please forward any comments, inquiries or contributions to George Haddow (george_haddow@hotmail.com).

Symposium on Mitigating Severe Weather Impacts In Urban Areas
April 15-17, 2002

This symposium is a follow-up to the one held in 2001 on the same subject: mitigating severe weather impacts. Topics will include best methods for reducing flood impacts through infrastructure design, advanced technology, and flood warning and information systems. Sessions will be organized with a special focus on the effects of Tropical Storm Allison, the most damaging urban flood in U.S. history. Communities vulnerable to natural hazards often have little control over severe weather impacts on infrastructure, energy, and water supply systems. The goal is to develop public and private partnerships to create a disaster resilient society through improved planning, engineering design, and technology. The outcome is expected to be improved understanding of technology and better design for creating a disaster resilient community infrastructure. See the Guest Editorial in this issue of the WeatherZine for more information.

For more information and to register, click here.

CIRES Center for Science and Technology Policy Research
Announces Publication of Newsletter

Ogmius, the Gallic god of Eloquence, is also the name of the new newsletter of the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado. Each issue of Ogmius will include an exchange among leading voices in the science and technology policy community, updates on Center projects and websites, synopses of recent Center publications, web and media resources, information about educational and other science and technology policy opportunities and meetings, and other news and information of interest to the science and technology policy community. Ogmius will be available three times a year by subscription or online. Make sure you receive each issue of Ogmius by subscribing now. Or read Ogmius online.

NWA Debate: Should Public and Private Sector Weather Forecasters Present a United Front When Issuing Weather Warnings?

The National Weather Association’s "Sound Off" column recently included a discussion about the role of the public and private sectors in issuing weather warnings. According to NWA President Les Lemon, weather broadcasters should never denigrate a NWS warning because if the public receives conflicting information, it generally will take no action in response. If the broadcaster believes a NWS warning (or failure to warn) is in error, the better response is to communicate with the NWS to discuss the concern. Barry Lee Myers, Executive Vice President of AccuWeather, Inc., questions Lemon’s approach. Myers maintains that accuracy should be the ultimate goal, not consistency. A private sector forecaster has an obligation to inform the public if s/he obtains information that conflicts with a NWS forecast. Lemon’s suggestion that improved communications can resolve discrepancies is impractical because of time constraints and the need to act quickly. To read the debate in full, visit the Sound Off site.

Andrew +10 Summit
May 30-31, 2002

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew. Many questions still linger: was Andrew really the big one? What if Andrew had hit 15 miles farther north? What was the true maximum sustained wind speed during Andrew? Were our communities really prepared for the impact of this natural hazard? Are we better prepared for the next big one? Hurricane Andrew became a focusing event fixing our attention on several critical issues, from the way we assess the vulnerability of our communities to the need for mitigation and education, at all levels, as tools for reducing the potential for damage from recurring hurricanes. To help address these issues, the International Hurricane Center and Florida International University, with support from the Broward County Office of Emergency Management, Miami-Dade County, FEMA, and the USF Center for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CDMHA), are sponsoring a conference entitled Andrew +10 Summit May 30-31, 2002, at Graham Center, FIU University Park Campus, Miami, Florida.

The conference will provide a unique forum for researchers, educators, emergency management practitioners, professionals in many fields, policy-makers and the community at large to:

• Examine the latest research findings in an effort to answer some of the lingering questions.
  
• Assess the consequences of changes brought about by Andrew in the areas of science and technology, government response, engineering and design, the social and economic impact of hazards, vulnerability and mitigation, and education and outreach.
• Come together to gain a collective perspective of the true
  significance of Andrew, and to assess the larger scope of our vulnerability to hazards including those so shockingly illustrated by the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attack in the United States.
• Assess the level of federal and state funding and legislative
  support needed to implement a comprehensive and coordinated national effort of research, education and outreach to reduce the potential for damage from future hurricanes.

For more information and to register, click here.