Contact: Bob Chartuk                      For Immediate Release
         National Weather Service         April 2, 1997
         Nancy Dragani
         State of Ohio

National Weather Service and State of Ohio flood warning programs saved lives and potentially tens of millions of dollars in property as flood waters inundated the Ohio River Basin, reported emergency management officials involved in the flooding.

"With flood forecasts and warnings issued for the mainstem of the Ohio River up to four days in advance, residents and businesses had time to prepare for the worst flooding since 1964," said Craig Hunter, hydrologist in charge of the Ohio River Forecast Center, which forecasted and monitored the floods from its office in Wilmington.

"The bottom line is that the emergency management community and the people of Ohio had advanced notice that severe flooding would occur," said Dale Shipley, Ohio Emergency Management Agency deputy director. "Cooperation between state and federal agencies was critical as flood warning information was developed and disseminated to the public," Shipley said from the state's emergency operations center in Columbus.

"The State of Ohio Rain-Snow Monitoring System, or STORMS, was invaluable in providing up-to-the-minute data from its automated gage network," said Ken Haydu, meteorologist-in-charge of the weather service's Wilmington forecast office, a state-of-the-art facility collocated with the Ohio River Forecast Center as part of a nationwide National Weather Service modernization effort.

"Accurate and up-to-date flood warnings are the intended result of many months of foresight and planning by a partnership between state and federal agencies," Haydu said.

"Because of the advanced notice, we did not lose a penny's worth of merchandise," reported Tom Fulton, a True Value hardware store owner in Ripley, Ohio, who needed 15 hours to move his entire stock out of harm's way. "The flood forecasts from the National Weather Service were extremely accurate," said Fulton, who thanked friends and family members who had just finished evacuating the store as the Ohio River came through the front door.

At Cinergy Field, National Weather Service warnings are credited for helping save opening day for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team as flood waters, cresting at 12 feet above flood stage, surrounded the riverfront stadium. "Advanced notice of the flooding gave us time to close flood gates and activate our drainage pumps," reported Suzanne Burck, stadium coordinator for Hamilton County. "We not only saved opening day, but also kept a new, two million dollar astroturf installation from being ruined," Burck said. "Water from the Ohio River did not get in."

"The accuracy of weather service flood forecasts from the Cleveland office was phenomenal, and we have a number of examples of potential damage that was avoided," said Findlay, Ohio, spokesman James Paul. As an example, he pointed to an estimated $425,000 in vehicles, office equipment, and other goods that were saved as a car dealership had time to move its stock to higher ground. "We had plenty of time to react."

Weather service officials noted that the federal agency's network of high-tech Doppler weather radars and geostationary satellites played a critical role in forecasting the flood, which was caused by the same storm system that produced violent tornadoes in Arkansas, Kentucky, and other southern states.

"With the accuracy of the flood forecasts and warnings we are capable of generating, all residents should be familiar with the hazards of severe weather and be prepared to take appropriate action," Haydu said, noting that outreach efforts conducted by state and federal personnel went a long way toward heightening public awareness of severe weather.

"Still, we had a number of unfortunate deaths as people returned to evacuated areas or drove onto flooded roadways--actions that we continually warn against," Haydu said.

According to Julie Dian, service hydrologist at the Wilmington forecast office, the National Weather Service issued a total of 62 flash flood and flood warnings during the event with an accuracy rate of over 90 percent. Sixty-five river flood warnings and statements, which predicted the crest of the Ohio River in Cincinnati to within one foot four days in advance, were also issued. Dian credited the region's network of cooperative observers and storm spotters for keeping the weather service and emergency managers abreast of the severe weather and providing "ground truth" to official estimates.

Other National Weather Service offices involved in providing flood information include Charleston, W.Va.; Louisville, Ky.; Indianapolis, Ind.; and Jackson and Paducah, Ky.