# Presentation: 369424

## Advisory Committee on Water Information

**Emergency Response to****Hurricanes Katrina and Rita**

**Scott Kiser****Tropical Cyclone Program Manager****NOAA/NWS****January 19, 2006**

**Notes:**
Thank Judy for moving us up.
From our perspective, our most important function is before the hurricane
Sets the stage for all the good work by the speakers to follow

## Mission of NOAA’s National Weather Service

***To provide the best meteorologic and hydrologic forecasts, watches and warnings possible.***

**Notes:**
Don’t tell the administrator I shortened the mission statement.
This is what it boils down to

## Satellite Loop of Katrina

## Satellite Loop of Rita

## Before Event

**Forecasts**
**Watches **
**Warnings**

**Notes:**
There is much more such as outreach and education such as what your organization accomplish
For this event though, these are the important parts.

The better job we do before the storm, the better prepared the recovery teams, organizations such as FEMA, military and state response

## Forecast Advisory 15Friday August 26  10 PM CDT 

**Advisory 15 Issued**

**Forecast Track**

**Katrina Track**

**Notes:**
Landfall Monday, August 29 around 6 am CDT
54 hours before landfall in southeast LA
Watches issued 42 hours
Warnings 32 hours

Category 3, 125 mph

## Advisory 20Thursday September 22  10 AM CDT 

**Advisory 20****Thursday September 22  10 AM CDT**** **

**Forecast for**
**Sat 9/24/05 04CDT**
**(09Z) 42 Hr Fcst **
**29.55N 94.13W**
**105kt (120 mph)**
**Moving 11kts (13mph)**

**Forecast Track**

**Rita Track**

**Advisory 20 Issued**

**Notes:**
Landfall around 2:30 CDT, Saturday, 9/24
Watch lead time 58 hours
Warning lead time 40 hours

Track chart represents when warning was issued.

Category 3, 120 mph

## National Hurricane CenterAtlantic Track Forecast Errors

**Notes:**
Note 72 hour reduction
Due to better observations and improved numerical modeling

## Single Track Storm Surge Forecast

- Shows envelope of high water relative to mean sea level (of 1929)

**NHC track forecast**

**Notes:**
Highest value around 25 feet (storm tide – still water)

## Before Event

**Hurricane Liaison Team**
**Regional Operations Center**
**Equipment and staffing checks**
**Briefings to decision makers**
**Hydrologists to inland NWS offices**
**Staff to state emergency operations centers**

## During Event

**Maintain the mission**
**Communicate and brief decision****makers **
**Invoke backup if needed**

**Notes:**
Need considerable backup 
Secondary backup
Longest period of backup ever for our organization lasting weeks.

## NWS Facilities

**Notes:**
Builds:

NWS HQ
Regions
NCEP Centers
RFCs and RFC boundaries
WFOs
Tsunami Warning Centers

## Post Storm

**Establish communications**
**Reroute data and radar information**
**Incident  meteorologists to support rescue and recovery operations**
**Assessment of operations**

## Long term above average hurricane activity
La Nina and El Nino

**Long term above average hurricane activity**
**La Nina and El Nino**

**Notes:**
High activity began in 1995  9 of 11 seasons above normal
Last next 15 to 20 years

## There are other sites especially vulnerable to disaster
Houston/Galveston
New Orleans (again)
Tampa Bay
Southwest Florida
Florida Keys
Southeast Florida
New York City/Long Island
New England

**There are other sites especially vulnerable to disaster**
**Houston/Galveston**
**New Orleans (again)**
**Tampa Bay**
**Southwest Florida**
**Florida Keys**
**Southeast Florida**
**New York City/Long Island**
**New England**