Using the National Weather Service’s impact-based decision support services to prepare for extreme winter storms

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 455-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather R. Hosterman, MEM ◽  
Jeffrey K. Lazo, PhD ◽  
Jennifer M. Sprague-Hilderbrand, JD ◽  
Jeffery E. Adkins, MS
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Winter Storm ◽  
Winter Storms ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
The Face ◽  
Primary Service

In recent years, the National Weather Service (NWS) increased its focus on providing decision support services to the emergency management community and other core partners to help them understand its forecasts and take appropriate actions in the face of upcoming extreme events. In 2011, the Weather-Ready Nation Strategic Plan began to formalize the NWS approach to impact-based decision support services (IDSS). NWS recognizes IDSS as a primary service and is working to fully and more effectively provide it to federal, state, local, and tribal decision-makers. To do so, it is important that NWS understands how users are benefiting from existing IDSS, even as they look to improve it. This article aims to provide emergency managers (EMs) with an understanding of the efficacy of IDSS. The authors define IDSS and describe the IDSS products and services available during each stage of the emergency-management cycle: preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. To demonstrate the role of IDSS for the emergency management community, the authors use a case study analysis to compare two winter storms in the New York City area with similar characteristics but differing in their implementation of IDSS: the December 2010 winter storm (no formal IDSS) and the January 2016 winter storm (formal IDSS). In comparing the winter storm case studies, the authors find that formal IDSS provides EMs and other core partners with accurate, actionable, and consistent weather information and support that allows them to respond to winter storms in a way that reduces impacts to lives and livelihoods.

Impact-Based Decision Support Services and the Socioeconomic Impacts of Winter Storms

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (5) ◽  
pp. E626-E639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey K. Lazo ◽  
Heather R. Hosterman ◽  
Jennifer M. Sprague-Hilderbrand ◽  
Jeffery E. Adkins
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
Socioeconomic Impacts ◽  
Winter Storms ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Flight Cancellations ◽  
Number Of Customers

Abstract As part of its strategic plan for Building a Weather-Ready Nation, the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) has increased their efforts to provide decision support services connecting forecasts and warnings to decision-making for core partners responsible for public safety. In 2011, the NWS formalized their approach to provide impact-based decision support services (IDSS) to help core partners better understand and utilize NWS forecasts and warnings in the face of upcoming extreme events. IDSS encourages weather forecasters to better consider societal impacts from weather events. This shift in emphasis toward impacts ensures NWS information and services are more relevant to decision-makers, which will allow those decision-makers to use NWS information and services to take proactive mitigating actions to protect life and property. This study posits that formal IDSS provides core partners with better information and supports decisions that reduce socioeconomic impacts during extreme winter storms. We compare two storms in the New York City area with similar characteristics but differing in their implementation of IDSS: the December 2010 storm occurred before the implementation of formal IDSS, whereas the January 2016 storm occurred after the implementation of formal IDSS. The comparison of the storm events indicates that IDSS and mitigating actions reduce flight cancellations, improve recovery time in the ground transportation sector, and reduce the duration and number of customers affected by power outages. We recommend that future studies of the value of IDSS consider using case studies for a range of weather events as well as other methodological approaches to assessing benefits.

A COMPUTER SIMULATION TECHNIQUE FOR OIL SPILLS OFF THE NEW JERSEY-DELAWARE COASTLINE1

1977 ◽  
Vol 1977 (1) ◽  
pp. 437-440
Author(s):  
I. M. Lissauer ◽  
J. C. Bacon ◽  
M. C. Miller
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
New Jersey ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Winter Storm ◽  
Wind Model ◽  
Pressure System ◽  
Winter Storms ◽  
New York Bight ◽  
Pressure Distributions

ABSTRACT Predictions of the trajectories of oil slicks and their impact locations along the shoreline of New Jersey and Delaware were determined for two potential deepwater ports and two potential drilling sites. A hydrodynamical-numerical model for the New York Bight area was coupled with a wind generating model to produce temporal patterns of concentration of oil. The wind model employs pressure distributions and storm movement to produce hourly patterns of the wind field produced by any storm for a predetermined grid area. Shoreline impact determinations were made for the four spill sites for the average winter storm conditions and average summer high pressure systems generated by the models. Winter storms moving through the study area do not pose a high risk to the shoreline should a spill occur. The maximum transport from the four sites toward the shore was 18 miles. This left the slick well offshore so that the ensuing wind shift from the frontal passage would rapidly transport the oil seaward. During a stagnant summer high pressure system, spills occurring within fifty miles of the shoreline have a high probability of impacting the shoreline if the spill should occur at the beginning of the period in which the system affects the area.

What influences the acceptance of emergency management decision-support software? A study of county emergency management officials

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 539
Author(s):  
Eliot A. Jennings, PhD ◽  
Sudha Arlikatti, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
Support Software ◽  
Management Decision Support

Objective: While the benefits of emergency management decision-support software (EMDSS) have been touted for helping reduce time in decision making, increasing interoperability, and real-time data management for effective disaster response, little is understood regarding the factors that influence the acceptance of these technologies by emergency management officials. This study aims to fill this gap and contribute to theory on user acceptance of EMDSS in the public sector and highlight practical constraints and solutions for emergency managers. Design: This research uses secondary data available from the 2006 survey of county emergency management agencies conducted by the National Center for the Study of Counties.Results: Having a lead county emergency management official with higher qualifications and an in-house geographic information system division, both have a positive influence on the acceptance of EMDSS by that agency.Conclusions: Contrary to expectations, the level of local collaborative planning efforts, the perceived level of threat, and number of disaster declarations for the county did not influence the use of these sophisticated EMDSS. To ensure use of such technology for effective emergency management, more funding to offer specialized training in the use of DSS is required in those agencies that do not have in-house GIS specialists.

Evolving the National Weather Service to Build a Weather-Ready Nation: Connecting Observations, Forecasts, and Warnings to Decision-Makers through Impact-Based Decision Support Services

2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (10) ◽  
pp. 1923-1942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis W. Uccellini ◽  
John E. Ten Hoeve
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Support Services ◽  
The United States ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
National Weather Service ◽  
Climate Events ◽  
Weather Service

AbstractAs the cost and societal impacts of extreme weather, water, and climate events continue to rise across the United States, the National Weather Service (NWS) has adopted a strategic vision of a Weather-Ready Nation that aims to help all citizens be ready, responsive, and resilient to extreme weather, water, and climate events. To achieve this vision and to meet the NWS mission of saving lives and property and enhancing the national economy, the NWS must improve the accuracy and timeliness of forecasts and warnings, and must directly connect these forecasts and warnings to critical life- and property-saving decisions through the provision of impact-based decision support services (IDSS). While the NWS has been moving in this direction for years, the shift to delivering IDSS holistically requires an agency-wide transformation. This article discusses the elements driving the need for change at the NWS to build a Weather-Ready Nation; the foundational basis for IDSS; ongoing challenges to provide IDSS across federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels of government; the path toward evolving the NWS to deliver more effective IDSS; the importance of partnerships within the weather, water, and climate enterprise and with those responsible for public safety to achieve the Weather-Ready Nation vision; and initial supporting evidence and lessons learned from early efforts.

scholarly journals Knowledge-Based Decision Support System for Emergency Management: The Pandemic Framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (No.4) ◽  
pp. 599-628
Author(s):  
Azlinah Mohamed ◽  
Bahaa Ahmad Masmas
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Decision Support System ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Support System ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Current State ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
Comprehensive Framework

Emergency management systems (EMS) assist emergency managers to resolve emergencies on hand, through analyzing the emergency characteristics and consolidating data from different departments that are involved in resolving the emergency. Many countries have adopted various forms of EMS that are specialized in resolving one type of emergency, and studies demonstrate their effectiveness in producing better decisions. However, the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered the lack of a comprehensive framework that could deal with different emergencies. It also revealed the inability of the current systems to communicate with each other to retrieve the needed data. The aim of this study is to show the current state of EMS in emergency departments by constructing a framework for a knowledge-based decision support system for emergency management focusing on resolving pandemics. Qualitative approach was adopted in this research, where the authors reviewed emergency management in general and pandemics in specific. Existing EMS systems were investigated, and knowledge- based decision support systems were explored. Approaches for integration, communication, and collaboration were also studied. As a result of this study, a comprehensive framework, i.e., a knowledge- based decision support system for emergency departments, focusing on resolving pandemics was introduced. The framework was validated by a domain expert who provided insights and suggestions for future research. While the primary research focus is to assist emergency managers in resolving the COVID-19 pandemic, the proposed framework is unique by adopting different approaches and techniques that enable the system to deal with various emergencies not limited to the current pandemic.

DISORDERS OF BLOOD AND BLOOD-FORMING ORGANS IN CHILDHOOD, H. S. Baar, Stella Baar, K. B. Rogers, and E. Stransky, New York, Hafner Publishing Company, 1963, 902 pp., $60.00

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1963 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 647-647
Author(s):  
Irving Schulman
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Publishing Company ◽  
Blood Diseases ◽  
Pediatric Hematology ◽  
Present Volume ◽  
The Face

Drs. H. S. Baar and E. Stransky published in 1928 one of the first books devoted exclusively to blood diseases in children. The present volume represents an attempt by these writers and their co-authors to produce, in the face of serious obstacles, a modern text on the same subject. The senior authors have been separated from each other by vast distances and the careers of both were turned away from specialization in pediatric hematology over twenty years ago.

Fear, history, stigma, and bias in the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 177-182
Author(s):  
Kevin Kupietz, PhD ◽  
Lesley Gray, MPH
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Social Effects ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Stigma And Discrimination ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship

Introduction: The greatest enemy of a global pandemic is not the virus itself, but the fear, rumor, and stigma that envelopes people. This article explores the context and history of fear and stigma relating to pandemic, summarizing key actions to mitigate the harms during an active pandemic.Method: Our article draws from accounts in literature and journalist accounts documenting the relationship between infectious diseases and major disease outbreaks that have garnered fear and stigmatization. Results: Fear, stigma, and discrimination are not new concepts for pandemics. These social effects run the risk of diverting attention from the presenting disease and government responses. Reactions to fear, stigma, and discrimination risk sabotaging effective efforts to contain, manage, and eradicate the disease.Conclusion: Emergency managers have an important role in dispelling myths, disseminating appropriate and evidence-based information without exacerbating fears. Knowledge about the roots of fear and bias along with a good understanding of historical plagues and pandemics is vital to ensure those in the field of emergency management can effectively manage irrational fears.

A Connecticut healthcare system’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-202
Author(s):  
Jane Keating, MD ◽  
Lenworth Jacobs, MD, MPH, DSc, FACS, FWACS ◽  
Daniel Ricaurte, MD ◽  
Rocco Orlando, MD ◽  
Ajay Kumar, MD ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New England ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Emergency Operations ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
The Public ◽  
At Risk Populations

Connecticut was impacted severely and early on by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the state’s proximity to New York City. Hartford Healthcare (HHC), one of the largest healthcare systems in New England, became integral in the state’s response with a robust emergency management system already in place. In this manuscript, we review HHC’s prepandemic emergency operations as well as the response of the system-wide Office of Emergency Management to the initial news of the virus and throughout the evolving pandemic. Additionally, we discuss the unique acquisition of vital critical care resources and personal protective equipment, as well as the hospital personnel distribution in response to the shifting demands of the virus. The public testing and vaccination efforts, with early consideration for at risk populations, are described as well as ethical considerations of scarce resources. To date, the vaccination effort resulted in over 70 percent of the adult population being vaccinated and with 10 percent of the population having been infected, herd immunity is eminent. Finally, the preparation for reestablishing elective procedures while experiencing a second wave of the pandemic is discussed. These descriptions may be useful for other healthcare systems in both preparation and response for future catastrophic emergencies of all types.

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