Wireless Emergency Alerts

Michael GerberNOAA/National Weather Service

Silver Spring, MD

NWS Partners MeetingAugust 5, 2013

Overview

• NWS WEA activation

• Statistics and feedback

• Examples of lives saved

• Opportunities to improve

• Getting the word out

2

WEA Messages Originated by NWS

Warning Type CMAS Message

Tsunami Warning (coming late 2013)Tsunami danger on the coast. Go to high ground or move inland. Check local media. –NWS

Tornado WarningTornado Warning in this area til hh:mm tzT. Take shelter now. Check local media. –NWS

Extreme Wind WarningExtreme Wind Warning this area til hh:mm tzT ddd. Take shelter. –NWS

Flash Flood WarningFlash Flood Warning this area til hh:mm tzT. Avoid flooded areas. Check local media. -NWS

Hurricane WarningHurricane Warning this area til hh:mm tzT ddd. Check local media and authorities. -NWS

Typhoon WarningTyphoon Warning this area til hh:mm tzT ddd. Check local media and authorities. -NWS

Blizzard WarningBlizzard Warning this area til hh:mm tzT ddd. Prepare. Avoid Travel. Check media. -NWS

Ice Storm WarningIce Storm Warning this area til hh:mm tzT ddd. Prepare. Avoid Travel. Check media. -NWS

Dust Storm WarningDust Storm Warning in this area til hh:mm tzT ddd. Avoid travel. Check local media. -NWS

LegendtzT = timezoneddd= three letter abbreviation for day of the week

NWS Warnings Activating WEA(Approximate)

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Flash Flood

Tornado

Dust Storm

Blizzard

Ice Storm

Hurricane

Wet monsoonin southwest

Monsoonends

Half Aug TORf rom Isaac

Ov er halfDecTOR on Xmas

143 TORJan 29-30

Wet monsoonin southwest

SevereWeatherSeason

WEA Credited with Saving Lives

5

• WEA messages received within seconds of warning issuance

• Elmira, NY (July 26, 2012) – 10 mile tornado. 2000 structures damaged. No major injuries.

• Adairsville, Georgia (Jan 29, 2013) – Vehicles stopped on I-75. Watched tornado cross highway.

• Jefferson Co, MS (Feb 21, 2013) – Woman looked outside and saw tornado backlit by lightning. Family got in the bathtub. Tornado heavily damaged bedroom where they would’ve been sleeping.

• Yell and Pope County, Arkansas (Apr 10, 2013) – “I would have drove right into it. I was able to stop and keep others at the store from driving into it with the info from the alert. Despite limited cell service, I received cell alerts and was able to take cover in Jessieville and avoid driving into the brunt of the storm.” – Red Cross Emergency Manager

• East Windsor, CT (July 1, 2013) – Up to 34 lives saved (29 children). Tornado WEA prompted soccer dome manager to evacuate everyone. Seconds later, dome thrown high above highway.

Warning:Extremelanguage in this video

Opportunities for ImprovementHone in on optimal WEA activation to minimize alert fatigue/opt-outs• Current NWS activation by event type, but exploring options which allow flexibility with flash

floods, blizzards, ice storms, dust storms, etc. • Consistency- Android users can opt-out of severe and still get extreme WEA, but not iPhone

NWS to participate in new FCC Federal/industry working group on WEA

Better convey actual warning area to WEA for NWS zone based warnings• WEA targeting counties (FIPS), since WEA only understands FIPS, polygons, and circles• Polygons would be optimal

Derecho service assessment recommends activation for extreme thunderstorms 6

iPhone

Android

Getting the Word Out

• Set realistic expectations – WEA Is a bell ringer,

not a replacement for traditional warning systems

• Create one-page web/social media/handout

preparemetrokc.org/WirelessEmergencyAlertFlier.pdf

• New Ready/FEMA /Ad Council PSAs– :30 Spot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9U_iOYx3aM– :15 Spot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-btLGsjQYc– Spanish Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iltPObaagWk

• CTIA links to WEA information for each major carrier at ctia.org/wea

• NWS FAQ at weather.gov/wirelessalerts

• Contact your wireless carrier for more information

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WEA PSAs Launched May 2013

8

15 second spot

30 second spot

Spanish 30 second

FCC allows broadcast or transmission of a simulated WEA in PSAs developed by FEMA. http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2013/db0531/DA-13-1301A1.pdf

Questions

9

<event>Flash Flood Warning</event>

<urgency>Immediate</urgency>

<severity>Severe</severity>

<certainty>Likely</certainty>

<effective>2010-06-03T14:00:00-05:00</effective><expires>2010-06-03T17:00:00-05:00</expires>

<senderName>NWS Memphis (Western Tennessee, Eastern Arkansas and Northern Mississippi)</senderName>

<headline>Flash Flood Warning issued June 03 at 2:00PM CDT valid until June 03 at 5:00PM CDT by NWS Memphis</headline>

<description>DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAINFALL HAS OCCURRED OVER THE PAST HOUR…</description>

<instruction>MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY…TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN</instruction>

<polygon>36.20,-88.93 36.18,-88.91 36.05,-88.84 35.99,-89.17 35.99,-89.19 35.98,-89.21 35.94,-89.30 36.17,-89.31 36.21,-89.04 36.20,-88.96 36.22,-88.95 36.20,-88.93</polygon>

<valueName>CMAMtext</valueName>

<value>Flash Flood Warning this area til 5:00 PM CDT. Avoid flood areas. Check local media. -NWS</value>

Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) Drives WEA

GIS Friendly

XML-based industry standard = low cost of entry for commercial developers

Alert informationat its most

granular levels

CAP Production

11

<alert xmlns="urn:oasis:names:tc:emergency:cap:1.2">

<identifier>NWS-130404-484497-358210</identifier>

<sender>w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov</sender>

<sent>2013-07-31T18:55:42-06:00</sent>

<status>Actual</status>

<msgType>Alert</msgType>

<scope>Public</scope>

<code>IPAWSv1.0</code>

<info>

<category>Met</category>

<event>Flash Flood Warning</event>

<responseType>Avoid</responseType>

<urgency>Immediate</urgency>

<severity>Severe</severity>

<certainty>Likely</certainty>

<eventCode>

<valueName>SAME</valueName>

<value>FFW</value>

</eventCode>

<effective>2013-07-31T18:55:42-06:00</effective>

<onset>2013-07-31T18:55:00-06:00</onset>

<expires>2013-07-31T21:00:00-06:00</expires>

<senderName>NWS Albuquerque NM</senderName>

<headline>Flash Flood Warning issued July 31 at 6:55PM MDT expiring July 31 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Albuquerque NM</headline>

<description>THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...

SOUTHEASTERN ROOSEVELT COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL NEW MEXICO

WGUS55 KABQ 010055

FFWABQ

NMC041-010300-

/O.NEW.KABQ.FF.W.0058.130801T0055Z-130801T0300Z/

/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED

FLASH FLOOD WARNING

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM

655 PM MDT WED JUL 31 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...

SOUTHEASTERN ROOSEVELT COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL NEW MEXICO

* UNTIL 900 PM MDT

* AT 653 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED

VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM A THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES WEST OF LINGO...OR ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTH OF PORTALES. THE STORM PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS NEARLY STATIONARY. 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN WITH THIS STORM. FLASH FLOODING IS LIKELY ALONG COUNTY ROAD 33 WEST OF LINGO AS WELL AS STATE HIGHWAY 114.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DO NOT DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. MANY FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.

&&

LAT...LON 3358 10306 3357 10351 3366 10351 3365 10358

3371 10361 3394 10305 3359 10305

WMO CAP

Convert

Now Hazard Services (future)

CAP<alert xmlns="urn:oasis:names:tc:emergency:cap:1.2">

<identifier>NWS-130404-484497-358210</identifier>

<sender>w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov</sender>

<sent>2013-07-31T18:55:42-06:00</sent>

<status>Actual</status>

<msgType>Alert</msgType>

<scope>Public</scope>

<code>IPAWSv1.0</code>

<info>

<category>Met</category>

<event>Flash Flood Warning</event>

<responseType>Avoid</responseType>

<urgency>Immediate</urgency>

<severity>Severe</severity>

<certainty>Likely</certainty>

<eventCode>

<valueName>SAME</valueName>

<value>FFW</value>

</eventCode>

<effective>2013-07-31T18:55:42-06:00</effective>

<onset>2013-07-31T18:55:00-06:00</onset>

<expires>2013-07-31T21:00:00-06:00</expires>

<senderName>NWS Albuquerque NM</senderName>

<headline>Flash Flood Warning issued July 31 at 6:55PM MDT expiring July 31 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Albuquerque NM</headline>

<description>THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...

SOUTHEASTERN ROOSEVELT COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL NEW MEXICO

• WEA is a bell ringer and doesn’t replace other alerting systems

• While WEA is new, early results are promising as lives saved

• Occasional hiccups and opportunities to improve, service evolving

• “Big Four” carriers performing better than required by the FCC regulations by geotargeting WEA broadcasts at the sub-county level

• More work needed by all partners to get the word out about WEA

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