NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEPUTY DIRECTOR EXPLAINS
EMERGENCY RESPONSE ROLE FOR SAVE A LIFE FOUNDATION

Noting the “natural good fit” of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with the Citizen Corps in times of need, National Weather Service Deputy Director John Jones today described the agency’s role in disaster mitigation to the Save A Life Foundation National Emergency Preparedness Summit. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“We are your partners in preparedness,” Jones told the audience of teachers, emergency responders and emergency managers. “Our goal is to provide you with products and services that help your communities keep emergencies from becoming disasters.”

Jones noted that the NOAA National Weather Service and the Save A Life Foundation, working closely with the national Citizen Corps, form a good fit in the partnership of keeping the public safe. He pointed out that NOAA satellites carry equipment to assist with search and rescue operations; NOAA ship sonar for charting the ocean bottom also helps find downed aircraft like that of JFK, Jr., and TWA flight 800; NOAA Weather Radio (the weather warning broadcast system) is now used to carry civil emergency information, including post-disaster information. He also detailed how NOAA aircraft flew missions over the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to produce 3-D images that helped recovery and clean up efforts.

The NOAA National Weather Service is a critical asset to the American public, Jones said, providing information from 122 Weather Forecast Offices, 13 River Forecast Centers, nine national centers, 21 Center Weather Service Units at FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers and six regional offices providing support along with Weather Service Headquarters.

Jones said public awareness campaigns such as Severe Weather Awareness Week, Lightning Safety Awareness Week, Turn Around Don’t Drown and StormReady have been valuable in making the public aware of self-protective actions needed during emergency situations. Forecast and communications tools such as the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, the National Digital Forecast Database, NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN), he said, enable NOAA Weather Service experts to provide the latest information to emergency managers, the media and the public.

The Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:

NOAA National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: http://www.noaa.gov.