American Meteorological Society (AMS ) Annual Partnership Topic (APT )

1. American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Partnership Topic (APT) Building America’s Resilience to Hurricane Disasters Dr. Timothy Spangler AMS Summer Community Meeting 11-13 August 2008 Boulder, CO

2. Presentation • APT Selection • APT Purpose • Multi-sector and Interdisciplinary • Hurricane Disasters APT • Topic Committee Membership • APT Schedule

3. APT Selection Issue that is of long-term strategic nature with importance to the enterprise as a whole APT Selection Criteria: • Timeliness (results relevant for 2-3 year timeline) • Breadth (sector and discipline) • Impact (on the weather and climate enterprise and society) • Interest (likelihood of success) • Linkage (potential linkage to other planned activities)

4. APT Purpose • Give all interested parties an opportunity to express their views on the selected topic • Summarize those views in a concise report • Identify consensus views when such consensus exists • Clarify differences of opinion when consensus does not exist • Offer recommendations to AMS itself and the enterprise as a whole based on the understanding of views gained during the study

5. Topic Committee Membership

6. Topic Committee Membership (con’t)

7. APT Schedule

8. Multi-sector and Interdisciplinary • Katrina has shown that a good forecast and warning are not enough • Meteorology community can’t accomplish enough by itself • Some problems can’t be solved or even mitigated by single communities of interest • AMS reaching out to talented individuals from other disciplines

9. Hurricane Katrina Eye Wall

10. Hurricane Isabel

11. Report Cover

12. Original Charge #1 • How can the private sector engage more fully in hurricane disaster prevention, preparedness, and recovery actions nationwide? • Enhance incentives for the private sector • Meet individual and community unmet needs in the recovery phase of a hurricane disaster • Engage businesses to prepare for Hurricanes (release employees earlier, for example) • Better utilize business to improve communication from getting the message out to putting up temporary cell phone towers • Better partnership between business and NGOs

13. Case in Point • Private hospitals were fully evacuated, some by helicopter (Humana) • Public hospital had staff and patients in place during Katrina aftermath

14. Meteorology Private Sector • Has specific unique and critical roles that were added to the report during the comment period. • Specialized data forecasts and warnings tailored for users • Dissemination to mobile devices • Regular, trusted contact with the public via tv, radio, newspaper, internet

15. Original Charge #2 How can we do more to protect the poor and most vulnerable hurricane disasters? • Have an evacuation plan AND a motivation plan for at risk populations to get 100% evacuated • Communication must address both practical issues (where to go) and emotional issues (what will happen to my pets?) • Enhance plans for temporary housing • Expand & enhance NOAA’s Storm Ready Program • Include requirement for registry of “at risk” population.

16. Hurricane Disasters APT • What can be done to better educate the enterprise on responses to forecasts and warnings for hurricanes? [Educating the Enterprise] • Achieve improvements in areas related to NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards • Achieve improvements in education and training on hurricanes and preparedness

17. Educate Who? • Broadcasters • Kids • Adults • Emergency Managers • Insurance Industry • Business Community

18. Resilence Should include: • Sociological Impacts • Ecological Footprints • Economic Issues • Engineering • Future Conditions (i.e. climate change)

19. USGS Bay, St. Louis

20. Bay Saint Louis before Katrina