Weather Forecast Office Charleston, SC Communications and Lessons Learned from Southeast and Caribbean and Climate Community of Practice - April, 2017 Public Information and Communications During Extremes
Outline NWS Area of Responsibility (State and Local) Partner Communication and Briefing Strategy Matthew Lessons Learned
4 NWS Offices Serve SC State Liaison
NWS Charleston Area of Responsibility 20 Counties / 26 Zones, including Atlantic Waters 2 Major Airports (CHS & SAV) 1 Large Inland Lake (Lake Moultrie) 2 Major Ports Charleston: # 9 container port in US and has cruise ship terminal Savannah: #4 container port in US, 44 th in the world
NWS Charleston Area of Responsibility Population Density Population: 1.5-2 million Most Population in the Metro Areas: Charleston (682,000) and Savannah (356,000) Temporary Population Swells Due to Tourism Majority of Population Vulnerable to Hurricanes (evacuation, coastal flooding, wind issues)
Outline NWS Area of Responsibility (State and Local) Partner Communication and Briefing Strategy Matthew Lessons Learned
Briefing Philosophy: State Level Coordination: NWS offices Serving SC Coordinate with SCEMD Prior to Local/County Calls Result Coordinated, Consistent State Level Weather Forecast Graphics & Text Products Conference Calls: NWS Columbia (State Liaison Office) or Most Impacted Office, Leads Call to Summarize Potential Weather Impacts for Entire State Meant to Provide General Overview, Not County Specific!
Briefing Philosophy: Local Briefings Provided As-Needed (i.e., Tropical, Severe, Winter Events) Type/Format of Brieing Depends on Severity/Type of Event o E-mail Briefing For Lower Impact Events or Updates, Text/One-Pager, Images) o Webinar/Phone More Detailed, Allow Time for Partner Q/A, Easier to Convey Forecaster/Human Confidence Highlight: What, Where, When, & Potential Impacts of Event o Potential Impacts Can be Challenging to Provide, Requires Experience and Good Guidance
Social Media: Facebook Pre-Event Likes (Oct 1): 15,650 Post-Event Likes (Oct 10): 19,330 Gain: +3,680
Social Media: Facebook Key Posts First Matthew Post @5 pm Wednesday, Sept. 28 ~95 posts Made Through Midday Sunday, Oct. 9
Social Media: Facebook Key Posts
Social Media: Twitter Pre-Event Followers (Oct 2): 17,079 Post-Event Followers(Oct 10): 19,489 Gain: +2,410
Social Media: Twitter ~250 Tweets Through the Event (Oct 1-Oct 10)
Outline NWS State and Local Area of Responsibility Partner Communication and Briefing Strategy Matthew Lessons Learned
The Big Picture Lessons Learned As Bad as it Was, Could Have Been Much Worse!!.e., Stronger Hurricane Making Direct Landfall from Atlantic) However, Storm Track Parallel to Coastline, Impacted Entire Coast and Much of Inland Area! Hurricane Experience: Matthews was the Worst Hurricane Most Residents had Lived Through Evacuations: Only About 50% Evacuated When Told! Why?
Forecast Operations Lessons Learned Staff Stress: 3-5 Consecutive Days of 12+ hour Shifts + Staff Concern About their Families and Property Building/Office Design: Not Ideal for Overnight Stays/Long Duration Weather Events (i.e., no shower, beds/sleeping areas, etc.) Damage Surveys: Challenge to Survey Large, Complex Coastline Many Claims of Tornado Damage Nearly Impossible to Survey and to Separate from Large Scale Hurricane Wind Damage Not Enough People to Timely Survey All Areas Focused Mainly on Surveying Storm Surge Impacts
Lessons Learned Messaging Briefings and Social Media: Well Received, Followers Increased Conveying Storm Surge and Coastal Inundation: Challenging When To Change from Reasonable Worst Case Scenario to What is Expected? Maintaining Local and Statewide Consistency and Coordination, Challenging, particularly for Storm Surge Had Direct Communication with SC Governor (Big Plus)
Thank You! Ron Morales ron.morales@noaa.gov Warning Coordination Meteorologist National Weather Service Charleston, SC