Straight Talk:
No Decision Before Its Time

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays. I know that the three Strategic Initiative Tiger Team members took a deep breath after delivering their proposals (Developing an Organization-Wide Concept of Operations; Consolidating Data-Level IT Management; and Securing Our Role in the Provision of Aviation Products) to the Corporate Board mid-December. The proposals were written by some of our best and brightest employees – the future leaders of this organization – and I believe they represent the diverse perspectives of our workforce. Once again, thank you Tiger Team members for your ongoing hard work and dedication to this most important task.

There's a lot of "noise" out there about what the proposals say and what they really mean. The proposals are draft documents that the teams were chartered to develop for the Corporate Board to evaluate. We owe it to the process – and our collective future – to let the Board take time to make wise decisions on the way ahead before releasing final documents.

As I begin my third year as your Director, I am committed – more than ever – to creating a future National Weather Service that each and every one of you is excited about. Our reasons for change are so much more than solving budget uncertainties. The future I believe in is one in which you – our treasured employees – have the highest quality of work life and a future where all of us use our talents and expertise to the fullest for America.

But this future is not going to happen overnight. My message to you is simple – "no decision before its time." The Corporate Board will get our next update during the January 17 – 19, 2006, meeting in Washington. I believe we're making progress and I will continue to report to you as decisions are made and events unfold.

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A group of NOAA managers in New England held their first collaboration meeting at WFO Taunton, MA, to discuss several NOAA-wide initiatives with potential cross-cutting application for New England.

Participants in the New England NOAA collaboration meeting, from left: John Borman, John Kelley, Al Wheeler, Barry Costa-Pierce, Glenn Field, Ken Finkelstein, Bill O'Beirne, Gregg Rishel, Bob Thompson, Craig MacDonald, Pat Kurkul, Fara Courtney, Steve Lehmann, Dwight Trueblood, CDR Andrew Beaver, Betsy Nicholson, CPT Andrew Armstrong, Kate Smuckler, Kathi Rodrigues, Robert Bell, Ellen Mecray, and Scott Reynolds.

After an introduction by WFO Taunton Meteorologist-In-Charge Bob Thompson on meeting objectives and logistics, Betsy Nicholson, NOAA Northeast Regional Coastal Program Specialist, discussed the Ocean Act and applicable topics from the Committee on Ocean Policy. Barry Costa-Pierce, Rhode Island Sea Grant Director, introduced the Northeast Regional Ocean Council Initiative to the group. John Boreman, NOAA Marine Fisheries Woods Hole Laboratory Officer-in-Charge, elaborated on objectives associated with NOAA's Ecosystem Approach to Management. Each meeting participant then gave an introduction to his/her office's mission, ways that his/her office may be a resource to other NOAA offices, and on-going or potential collaborative efforts with other NOAA offices. After a synthesis of responses from a pre-distributed survey by Fara Courtney from Good Harbor Consulting, a brainstorming session was held to determine where the group should focus its collaborative efforts.

The brainstorming session yielded three tangible actions:

• Establish a more comprehensive inventory of on-going collaborative NOAA efforts in New England.

• Form a team to establish a proactive process in anticipation of another red tide algal bloom (expected spring/early summer). Recognizing that there are atmospheric, hydrologic, and physical oceanographic processes that play a role in harmful algal bloom development, the team set an objective to establish an experimental forecast procedure and commensurate response actions that would better anticipate rather than react to this phenomenon.

• Develop a conceptual model of an internal NOAA in New England web page that could be a resource for ongoing collaborative efforts and high-quality data sources. The page would serve as a reference for NOAA science activities in the New England region. A potential extension of this effort would be a web page intended for partners and customers of NOAA services in New England, possibly an extension or regional emulation of the National Ocean Service Nowcoast effort.

The group is planning a second NOAA in New England collaboration meeting, likely for March 2006.

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NWS Continues to Score High in Service Satisfaction Surveys

NWS is the third highest governmental service organization, scoring 84 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) 100-point index, according to an annual government survey.

The NWS ACSI score of 84 is third among 17 Federal agencies who are information providers and eighth among all 47 Federal agencies surveyed in 2005. For comparison, overall satisfaction with Federal government services scores a 71.3 on the ACSI, down 1.1 percent from 72.1 last year. The slight drop was the first decline in satisfaction with the federal government in three years. Private sector services also experienced a decline (down 3.2 percent to 71.5) Government services in the aggregate remain ahead of certain private sector industries, such as airlines (66), wireless telephone (63), and cable television (61).

The ACSI is produced quarterly by the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business in partnership with the American Society for Quality and international consulting firm CFI Group. The annual government ACSI is done in cooperation with the Treasury Department's Federal Consulting Group.

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Working Together to Get Omaha's Radar Back in Service

Maintenance staffs at WFO Omaha, WFO Pleasant Hill, Central Region Headquarters, and the National Reconditioning Center recently put service above self to get the Omaha NEXRAD working as a winter storm threatened the area.

The Omaha radar went down on December 6, 2005, as a significant winter storm was moving into the central plains from the southwest. Larry Howard and Jim Weaver began the effort to repair the system when it was discovered that some special wiring needed to be replaced. The Omaha staff tried to purchase the wire locally, but there was none to be found. At that point Omaha called the National Reconditioning Center and talked to Tony Smith who put together a repair kit with everything needed, including wire, lugs, and labels.

The next dilemma was to find the fastest way to get the kit to Omaha. With the winter storm approaching, time was of the essence. Omaha coordinated with Central Region Headquarters and WFO Pleasant Hill and determined that a few hours could be saved, and the radar returned to service before the storm, if the kit was driven halfway from Kansas City to Omaha. The Omaha electronic technician staff called WFO Pleasant Hill and talked to ESA John Tatum who was happy to help out. Assistant ESA Bruce Dunnihoo was dispatched to NRC in moderate to heavy snow to pick up the repair kit from Tony Smith, and he drove to St. Joseph, MO, where he met the Omaha ET staff to deliver the kit. Thanks to the dedication and innovation of all involved the Omaha staff was able to repair the radar and have it back in service to provide critical snowfall information during this high impact event.

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Offices Create 'Timmy the Twister' to Communicate Severe Weather Risk

Smokey Bear, the beloved character of the USDA Forest Service, inspired several staff members from the Memphis, TN, Weather Forecast Office, and the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center (LMRFC) to create "Timmy the Twister."

Like Smokey, who notifies the public of fire danger, Timmy helps prepare the public by announcing the potential for severe weather.

The "Timmy the Twister" character created by staff at WFO Memphis, TN, appears on a sign in front of City Hall in Pontotoc, MS.

WFO Memphis, TN, Meteorologist-In-Charge Jim Belles kicked the concept around with Dan Valle and Scott Cordero (who now works at WFO Corpus Christi, TX). They finalized a vision of the character they wanted, and Amanda Roberts with the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center put flesh to the Timmy graphic.

"We had a poster session featuring "Timmy" at the national NWA conference in St. Louis in October," said Belles, and he said the feedback was very positive.

"Really, when you think of "Timmy" as similar to the Smokey Bear signs at National Forests it really should be something that should take hold across the most vulnerable tornado locations of our country. I'm sure there are many towns that would be willing to do this. Additionally, the character could be used like Smokey as an 'eye catcher' for other statements on preparedness. I think a character in the shape of a tornado allows an immediate mental connection to our message."

WFO Memphis persuaded the community of Pontotoc, MS, to use "Timmy the Twister" in a sign in front of City Hall to announce the daily severe weather outlook. Every morning someone from the Emergency Operations Center checks the Hazardous Weather Outlook and places the appropriate outlook (none, slight, moderate, or high) on the "Timmy the Twister" sign board. The sign is visible to the entire community of 5,000 people since City Hall is located on Main Street in the heart of Pontotoc.

Four years ago, Pontotoc was devastated by an F3 tornado that killed six people and injured many others. The community responded in the wake of that tragedy by building 40 community shelters and over 400 individual shelters thanks to assistance from FEMA.

Citizens of Pontotoc take severe weather seriously and didn't hesitate when given the opportunity to display the 'Timmy the Twister" sign. According to the Mayor of Pontotoc, Bill Rutledge "if we had any doubt about people noticing the sign we sure found out when the high risk for severe weather was posted...the public response was tremendous."

For their improved effort and diligence the city of Pontotoc was recently recognized as a StormReady community.

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WFO Indianapolis Partners with NFL’s Indianapolis Colts to Promote Weather Safety

WFO Indianapolis Meteorologist Intern Joseph Nield and Lead Forecaster Chad Omitt recently worked together with the Indianapolis Colts to write and record several short Public Service Announcements (PSAs) promoting weather safety.

Indianapolis Colts football player Brandon Stokely records his public service announcement for NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards.

Colts wide receiver Brandon Stokely recorded the PSAs, which made reference to the necessity to plan for natural hazards and heed the recommendations of the NWS, local officials, and the media. In addition, the PSAs also referenced the need for all Americans to take responsibility for their safety and that of their family. Included in each was a call to “take notice, take action, and take cover immediately” when warnings are issued or hazards threaten.

The PSAs have been released via the Internet, and will soon be released to NWS partners in the local media. They will also play on NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards. Other routes of dissemination may be explored in the future.

“We hope this will be the beginning of a productive relationship between our office and the Colts to promote weather safety here in central Indiana and nationwide,” said Nield.

You can hear the PSAs at the WFO Indianapolis web site, http://weather.gov/indy.

NWS Golf Outing Planned

The Central Region/NWS Golf Association will host its 21st annual golf outing the week of June 9-23, 2006, in East Dubuque, IL. The site is Lacoma Golf Course, with two 18-hole courses and one par three course.

The event is open to all NWS golfers nationwide, active and retired, and to their spouses and guests. For more information, follow this link, or contact Brian Hahn, NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI, at brian.hahn@noaa.gov.

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Snapshots

Click here for a look at photos we've received from around the NWS.

Employee Milestones

• Click here to see NEW APPOINTMENTS/TRANSFERS to NWS through December 31, 2005.
• Click here to see RETIREMENTS/DEPARTURES from NWS through December 31, 2005.
• Click here to see NWS EMPLOYEES ACCOMPLISHMENTS through December 31, 2005.