The top emergency official of Manatee County, Fla., told Congress on Wednesday that the nation’s weather forecasting system must capitalize on new technology to make sure even hard-to-reach residents are alerted to impending danger.
Don Hermey, the county’s emergency management director, testified that the National Weather Service must explore its options to get information into the hands of all citizens, regardless of their demographic or their technological habits.
“If you talk to my children, they’re into Pinterest and Snapchat,” Hermey told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. “In Florida, I also have the elderly population. They still tune to traditional radio and TV. We’ve got to figure out how to best accommodate all those needs out there, so flexibility and the funding to support that flexibility is critically important.”
Weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes and floods cost the United States more than $300 billion between 2008 and 2013, according to the committee. Committee members Sens. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and John Thune, R-S.D., said they plan to introduce new weather legislation that would try to improve seasonal predictions and the severe weather warning system and develop a pipeline from meteorological research to operations.
During the hearing, expert witnesses and lawmakers shared tales of packed highways, damaged cities and waterlogged cars in the wake of powerful weather and ensuing mass exoduses. Although weather prediction accuracy is at an all-time high, even the best technology cannot predict behavior, they said.
In the case of a May 2013 tornado that touched down near Oklahoma City, for example, the alert system functioned well, said Kim Klockow, postdoctoral research scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Most of the people that died drowned as they were fleeing to seek shelter from the storm, she said.
Hermey testified that although the United States’ current capability to analyze and predict the weather is advanced, “there is still work to be done.”
Much of this work comes in the form of a streamlined and focused communication system from federal weather agencies, he said.
The Manatee County emergency management division, which often deals with hurricanes, riptides and storm surge, partners with the National Weather Service, specifically the forecasting office in Ruskin, Fla., to prepare for severe weather or hazardous material incidents and general outdoor event planning. The county government’s communication arm often links NWS to further disseminate alerts and warnings, Hermey said.
While information used to come from a sparse selection of television and radio stations, today information is free-flowing and widely accessible thanks to smart phones and social media. Weather agencies and emergency divisions need to capitalize on these opportunities, said Hermey.
His division also works with WeatherBug, an independent weather monitoring company, to disseminate local weather conditions on mobile devices and the Internet, he said. This, however, might not be enough to access all residents, who span an ever-widening technological divide.
By passing a bill, Congress would be investing in technology development and giving NWS “the tools and support needed to improve warning and communication,” Hermey said.
Along with several other speakers, Nelson underscored the importance of improving technology before turning to digital technologies and social aspects.
“Whether through new social media that so many young people (use), if you have the tools to accurately forecast, they can get out the word,” Nelson said.
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