# Presentation: 676330

## NOAA’s Capabilities to Support

**NOAA’s Capabilities to Support**
**Homeland Security**

**Donald Wernly**
**National Weather Service**
**November 28, 2001**

## NOAA’s Support to Homeland Security

**  ****Structure**
** **
**  ****Services**
** **
**  ****Cooperative Support**
** **
**  ****Backup**
** **
**  ****Improvement Opportunities**

**NOAA’s Support to Homeland Security**
**Outline of Briefing**

## NOAA In Your Neighborhood

**NOAA In Your Neighborhood**

**CoastWatch Nodes**

- Weather Forecast Office (121)
- 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

## Services Supporting 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**
** **
**  **_**Event specific support**_** speeds decision making**
** **
**  **_**Direct public dissemination**_** of critical information speeds evacuations**
**	****	****	****	****	****	****	****	****	****	**
**  **_**Education and coordination**_** ensures effective service use**
** **
**  **_**Focused research**_** improves service**

**Services Supporting Homeland Security**

## Environmental Data

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**	****	****	**_**Realtime Observations**_
** **
**  ****Global data feed NOAA and other agency prediction models**
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**  ****Local data support first responder dispersion models**
** **
**  ****Recovery area over-flights 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**** **

**Environmental Data**

## Environmental Forecasts

**  ****Monthly and seasonal forecasts**
**  ****support preparedness and long term recovery decisions**
**  ****strengthen economic viability of weather sensitive businesses**
** **
**  ****Daily and weekly forecasts**
**  ****support contingency planning**
**  ****illustrate where recovery resources could be diverted**
** **
**  ****Forecasts and warnings from minutes to hours safeguard first **
**    ****responders and attack victims.**
**  ****Aviation and Marine forecasts support Navy, Coast Guard, and Air **
**    ****Force protection activities**

**Environmental Forecasts**

## Dispersion Forecasts

**	****	****	**
**  ****CAMEO product suite supports first responder decisions for localized **
**    ****hazardous releases**
** **
**  ****HYSPLIT model supports evacuations for radiological emergencies**
**  ****HYSPLIT defines dispersion of hazardous releases exceeding a **
**   ****10km area.**
** **
**  ****HARM model defines hazardous releases for DOE nuclear facilities**

**Dispersion Forecasts**

## Event Specific Support

**  ****55 incident meteorologists deploy to event sites**
** **
**  ****12 HAZMAT scientific support coordinators deploy to hazardous spill **
**    ****and release sites**
** **
**  ****NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) provide onsite support **
**    ****as requested**
** **
**  ****NOAA creates incident specific WEB sites**
** **
**  ****Air Resources Lab provides onsite support for FBI Nuclear **
**    ****Emergency Search Teams**** **

**Event Specific Support**

## Direct Public Dissemination

**  ****NOAA Weather Radio**
** **
**  ****Alerts public to extreme events and civil emergency messages (CEMs)**
** **
**  ****Activates the Emergency Alert System**
** **
**  ****Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN) **
**    ****delivers critical information at minimal cost**
** **
**  ****NOAA Weather Wire Service and NOAAPORT deliver information to **
**    ****media and other disseminators**

**Direct Public Dissemination**

## Education and Coordination

**   ****Service representatives at 121 Weather Forecast Offices and**
**    ****12 scientific support coordinators nurture local and state officials**
** **
**  ****NWS hosts FEMA’s Hurricane Liaison Team**
** **
**  ****NOAA and FEMA partner on emergency manager courses**
** **
**  ****10,000 users trained on CAMEO worldwide**
** **
**  ****NOAA’s Coastal Service Center educates users about coastal services**

**Education and Coordination**

## Focused Research

**	****	**
**  ****Improve dispersion modeling and fine scale dispersion forecasts**
** **
**  ****Oklahoma City urban field experiment**
** **
**  ****Vandenburg and Cape Canaveral experiments**
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**  ****Improve short-term warnings and forecasts**
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**  ****Hurricanes at Landfall initiative**
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**  ****Quantitative Precipitation Forecast initiative**
** **
**  ****Improved Doppler radar capabilities**

**Focused Research**

## Cooperative Support

** **
**  ****River gages - USGS, US Army COE, 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**

**Cooperative Support**

## Backup

**  ****Storm Prediction Center and Aviation Weather Center – **
**          ****Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA)**
** **
**  ****Alaska Aviation Weather Unit - Elmendorf Air Force Base**
** **
**  ****Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (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**

**Backup**

## Improvement Opportunities

**  ****Define requirements for effective hazardous release response actions**
** **
**  ****Identify appropriate dispersion models and upgrade to meet user **
**    ****requirements**
** **
**  ****Implement cost effective high resolution models for dispersion **
**    ****model input**
** **
**  ****Acquire more high resolution observations**
** **
**  ****Strengthen communications infrastructure**
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**  ****Strengthen dissemination infrastructure**
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**  ****Strengthen meteorologists’ abilities for hazardous release support**
** **
**  ****Strengthen first responders’ understanding of evolving services**

**Improvement Opportunities**