# Presentation: 676487

##   NOAA/NWS Support for Homeland Security: ATD Modeling 

-   NOAA/NWS Support for Homeland Security: ATD Modeling
-   Structure
-   Services
-   Cooperative Support

## NOAA In Your Neighborhood

**CoastWatch Nodes**

- Weather Forecast Office (122)
- River Forecast Center (13)
- NCEP Center (9)
- Center Weather Service Units (22)
- NESDIS CoastWatch Nodes (9)
- NOS HazMat Office
- NOS Coastal Services Center
- NESDIS Nat. Climatic Data Center

**Notes:**
NOAA in Your Neighborhood
Map of U.S. including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam showing NOAA service delivery centers

Weather forecast offices

National Centers for Environmental Prediction

River Forecast Centers

Center Weather Service Units

Coastal Service Center - Charleston, SC

Climatic Data Center - Asheville, NC

NOAA HAZMAT - Seattle, WA

NOS Scientific Support Coordinators

## 	   NOAA/NWS Services Supporting ATD 			Modeling for Homeland Security

-  Realtime and archived _**environmental data**_ support vulnerability and     	risk analyses
-   Long and short-range _**environmental forecasts**_ support preparation,     	protection, response, and recovery decisions
-   _**Dispersion forecasts**_ help move people out of harms way
-   _**Staff support to DHS:**_ full-time at HSOC
-   _**Event specific support**_ speeds decision making
-   _**Direct public dissemination**_ of critical information speeds evacuation
-   _**Education and coordination**_ ensures effective service use
-   _**Focused research**_ improves service

## NOAA/NWS Weather Observations and Forecasts 

- Short term warnings and forecasts safeguard first responders
- Daily to seasonal forecasts aid contingency planning
- Site-specific Web pages provide one-stop shopping:
- - forecasts and warnings
- - surface observations
- - radar and satellite images

**Notes:**
Weather Observations and Forecasts

Short term forecasts and warnings help first responders deal with recovery efforts and safeguard both victims and responders.  
Hourly short-term forecasts from our Norman Forecast Office during the attack on the Oklahoma City Federal Building served as a model for similar forecasts at the 9/11 recovery sites. 
Daily and weekly forecasts were provided to the New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania recovery sites to assist in their planning efforts.  
Weekly threats forecasts for the nation were provided to FEMA and the White House to suggest where extreme weather and water events might divert resources to deal with potential catastrophic events. 
Monthly and seasonal forecasts out to a year in advance support long term preparedness and response planning. 

##  Dispersion Forecasts in 

-  Dispersion Forecasts in
- NOAA/NWS Operations
- OAR-developed ATD capability HYSPLIT; integrated into NWS operations:
- HYSPLIT model supports planning, response for radiological emergencies
- HYSPLIT predicts dispersion of
- hazardous releases exceeding a 10km area.
- volcanic ash, for aviation safety

## Operational Dispersion Forecasts:HYSPLIT/ Eta-12

- HYSPLIT run at NCEP, linked to NCEP’s highest resolution mesoscale NWP model:  Eta-12
- Planning:  Scenario archive available from 4 X daily simulations for selected locations across the Nation
- Emergency:  On-demand, run by NCEP’s SDM in addition to regularly scheduled runs
- Response/recovery:  WFO forecasters transmit dispersion predictions to emergency managers
- Contact:  nearest WFO (NCEP’s SDM can help direct)

## 		NWS Event Specific Support

- 		NWS Event Specific Support
-   60 incident meteorologists deploy on request to event 	sites.
-   NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) provide onsite 	support  as requested
-   Incident-specific WEB sites.

## NWS Support to Emergency Managers

***Selected Capabilities***

- Full-time staff support to
- Homeland Security Operations
- Center
- NWS field forecasters frequently respond to to requests by emergency managers for weather information, incident support, and for assistance in disseminating emergency warning information

**Notes:**
Supporting Emergency Managers

NWS forecasters provide weather observations and forecast for first responders and emergency managers.  
Forecasters can be deployed for on-scene assistance, with special equipment (meteorological sensors and communications)

## 			Dissemination

- 			Dissemination
- To DHS:
-   NWS weather and requested dispersion information to HSOC, IMAAC
- To Emergency Managers:
-   NWS Field Forecasters at 122 Weather Forecast Offices provide requested dispersion forecasts to Emergency Managers
-  Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN)
- To the Public:
-  Emergency managers/DHS  can request civil emergency messages be disseminated over **NOAA Weather Radio**; the same system carries emergency weather information
-  Alerts public to extreme events and civil emergency messages  (CEM)s
-   Activates the Emergency Alert System
-   DHS linkage formalized in recently signed DOC-DHS MOA
-  NOAA Weather Wire Service and NOAAPORT to media and others for dissemination

## NOAA Weather Radio 

- Is the official government source for public warning information
- Covers 97 percent of the population
- Becoming a “All Hazards” warning system for natural and technological hazards
- Disseminates emergency manager Civil Emergency Messages to the public
- Is an entry point to the Emergency Alert System (EAS)

*"I also want to tell you one of my favorite moments was to go down to Crawford and turn on my NOAA radio to get the weather. I don't know whether my guy is a computer or a person. But the forecast is always accurate, and I appreciate that...”*
- President Bush February 14th, 2002

**Notes:**
NOAA Weather Radio

A 1975 policy statement from the Office of Telecommunications Policy of the Executive Office of the President declared NWR to be the official government voice for public warnings.
Over 650 transmitters driven by 121 Weather Forecast Offices deliver NWR broadcasts covering 85% of the population. “All Hazards” means NWR broadcasts warning and post event information for both natural and technological hazards.  Non weather related information is disseminated as a Civil Emergency Message (CEM).
NWS policy states non weather related information is transmitted when it supports life and property safety, comes from an official (Federal, state, or local government) source, and is time critical.
CEMs are phoned into WFOs for broadcast.  CEMs from identified radiological facilities and chemical stockpile sites are automatically collected and disseminated.
NWR critical warning messages enter the Emergency Alert System where they break into normal commercial programming.

## 		   Education and Coordination

- 		   Education and Coordination
-   Warning Coordination Meteorologists at 122 Weather Forecast 	Offices and 12 scientific support coordinators 	nurture local and state officials
-     NOAA and FEMA partner on emergency manager courses

## 		        Focused Research

- 		        Focused Research
-   Improve dispersion modeling and fine scale dispersion forecasts
-   	DC testing
- 	Smoke emissions testing
-   Improve short-term warnings and forecasts
- 	Improved Doppler radar capabilities
- 	Improved integration of surface observation
- 	Improved coastal weather forecasts/warnings

## Concepts for Integrated Weather/ATD Support for Homeland Security

**NOAA/NWS**
**WFOs and NCEP**

**DHS/FEMA**
**IMAAC**
- NOAA, NRC, DOD,  DOE, EPA, ...

**Specialized Data: ****Source Terms**

**Urbanet Data ****(future)**

**Reach-Back Support**

**Emergency Managers**

** ****Weather Information**

** **

- ATD Capabilities: NOAA/OAR, NOAA/NWS, NOAA/NOS, NRC, DOD, DTRA, DOE, EPA... (See OFCM  listing)

** ****Weather Information**

**Notes:**
Legend:
AQFC		Air Quality Forecast Center
NCDC		National Climatic Data Center 
NDFD		National Digital Forecast Database
NWP	  	Numerical Weather Prediction Models
WFO		Weather Forecast Office

## 			         Backup

- 			         Backup

## 		     Operations Backup

- 		     Operations Backup
-   Storm Prediction Center and Aviation Weather Center –
-           Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA)
-   Alaska Aviation Weather Unit - Elmendorf Air Force Base
-   Washington and Alaska Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC) 	and Regional  Specialized Met Center (RSMC) for 	Radiological Emergencies –   Montreal VAAC and RSMC
-   NCEP Central Operations -  Fleet Numerical, AFWA, and FSL
-   Weather Forecast Offices - Partner Office
-   NCEP Service Centers - Partner Office

## 			Environmental Data

- 			_Realtime Observations_
-   Global data feed NOAA and other agency prediction models
-   Local data support first responder dispersion models
-   Recovery area overflights assist debris removal
- 		        _Archived Environmental Data_
-   Extreme environmental event statistics support preparedness actions
-   Wind, temperature, and precipitation climatologies define hazardous
-     release vulnerabilities
-   Dam break scenarios, storm surge and coastal atlases, and dispersion
-     climatologies define at risk populations

## 	  	Improvement Opportunities:  

- 	  	Improvement Opportunities:
- 			ATD Support
-   Refine requirements for effective hazardous release response actions
-   Upgrade appropriate dispersion models to meet user requirements
-   Implement cost effective high resolution models for dispersion
-     model input
-   Acquire/ integrate more high resolution observations
-   Strengthen meteorologists’ abilities for hazardous release support
-   Strengthen first responders’ understanding of evolving services

## 	              Cooperative Support

- 	              Cooperative Support
-  **River gages - USGS, USACE, Bureau of Reclamation**
** **
**  ****Doppler radar & surface observing systems - DOD and FAA**
** **
**  ****Hurricane reconnaissance - Air Force Reserve**
** **
**  ****Data buoy tending and marine dissemination - Coast Guard**
** **
**  ****ARGOS data collection system - French Space Agency**
** **
**  ****Voluntary observations - 168,000 storm spotters, 115,000 marine **
**    ****reports, 1800 voluntary ships**
** **
**  ****CAMEO product suite - EPA**
** **
**  ****HYSPLIT and HARM – DOE**
**  ****Drought Monitor - DOA, National Drought Mitigation Center**
** **
**  ****National Education Coalition - FEMA, USGS, American Red Cross**

## Agency Responsibilities: NOAA Provides Weather and Dispersion Predicitons

***Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP): CB******N***
***	***

- FEMA
- (Planning)

- NWS:
- Met Info, Incident
- Support

- NRC
- (N Facilities)

- EPA
- (HAZMAT)

- DOJ/ FEMA
- (Terrorism)

- DoD
- (Bases)

- DOE
- (DOE Sites)

- FERP Support Function		Lead Federal Agency (LFA)
- Information and Planning		FEMA
- Hazardous Materials 			EPA
- Annex: Terrorism Incident**		DOJ/ FEMA
- 	**Through Hazardous Materials responsibilities (EPA lead)

- F Radiological ERP

## International Responsibilities

***NWS:  Radiological Release and Volcanic Ash****** ***
***	***

- NWS:
- Met Info, Incident
- Support

**Radiological release  (WMO)**:
- Dispersion model (HYSPLIT) run by NCEP’s Senior Duty Meteorologist (SDM)
-  Initialized with Eta 12km or AVN models
**Volcanic Ash (FAA)**:
- Ash trajectory model (HYSPLIT) run by NCEP’s SDM
- HYSPLIT also run for ash transport/dispersion, by OAR/ARL

- FAA

- WMO