Hurricane Katrina August 23-31, 2005
Service Assessment
Hurricane Katrina August 23-31, 2005
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) Silver Spring, Maryland
Cover: NOAA-15 satellite image of Hurricane Katrina at 7:47 a.m. Central Daylight Time, August 29, 2005, just east of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Service Assessment
Hurricane Katrina August 23-31, 2005
June 2006
NOAA's National Weather Service David L. Johnson Brigadier General, USAF (ret.) Assistant Administrator for Weather Services
i
Preface
The devastation along the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina was staggering. The physical destruction and personal suffering surmounted that of any U.S. weather disaster in recent history. The loss of life and extraordinary damage made Katrina the costliest hurricane in U.S. history and one of the five deadliest hurricanes to ever strike the U.S. However, without NOAA's National Weather Service forecasts, warnings, communication, outreach, and education, the impacts and loss of life would have been far greater.
I chartered a team to assess NWS performance during the event. The Team found the NWS performed exceptionally well in forecasting, warning, communication, preparedness, and post-storm recovery efforts. This is confirmed by the overwhelming positive response received from users and partners of the NWS.
Our National Hurricane Center predicted the central Gulf Coast, including the New Orleans metropolitan area, would be directly affected by Katrina as a major hurricane about 56 hours before landfall. Forecasts of Katrina's path from NHC were better than long-term average errors and better than the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) 2006 goals established for hurricane track forecasts.
The evacuation rate during Hurricane Katrina was near 80 percent. This is an impressive public response to an approaching threat. This remarkable response resulted from a long-working relationship and open communication between NWS, the emergency management community at all levels, and the media.
While NOAA's National Weather Service performed well in forecasts and services, there is room for improvement. The Assessment Team made 16 recommendations, most of which concern the infrastructure of the NWS such as electrical power, communications, computing systems, and data gathering systems. During extremely difficult working conditions, the ingenuity, dedication, and sheer will of NWS employees enabled the provision of products and services as infrastructure and back-up systems failed. Relying on NWS employees to overcome infrastructure failure is not an ideal solution. The recommendations in this report will be addressed and the 13 best practices will be considered nationwide.
David L. Johnson Brigadier General, USAF (Ret.) Assistant Administrator for Weather Services June 2006
ii
Table of Contents
Preface................................................................................................................................. ii Service Assessment Team.................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements............................................................................................................. v Acronyms........................................................................................................................... vi Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 1 Service Assessment Report Introduction......................................................................................................................... 4 Event Overview .................................................................................................................. 5 NWS Forecast and Warning Services................................................................................. 9
National Centers for Environmental Prediction.............................................................. 9 Florida Weather Forecast Offices ................................................................................. 15 Gulf Coast Weather Forecast Offices ........................................................................... 16 Operations Coordination................................................................................................... 23 Continuity of Operations................................................................................................... 26 Support Activities ............................................................................................................. 32 Outreach and Preparedness ............................................................................................... 34 Best Practices .................................................................................................................... 36 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 37 Appendices The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale .............................................................................. A-1 Best Track Analysis for Hurricane Katrina .................................................................... B-1 Tornado Reports Associated with Hurricane Katrina..................................................... C-1
iii
................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.
Related download
- ideological segregation online and offline
- pop culture timeline cengage
- owens 1 us historical events from 1900 to present
- social welfare policy and social programs a values
- h5n1 avian influenza timeline of major events
- a history of significant weather events in southern california
- hurricane katrina august 23 31 2005
- what drives crude oil prices
Related searches
- po box 2005 greenville tx
- 2005 events timeline
- 2005 events in america
- hurricane worst in history
- worst hurricane to hit florida
- the worst hurricane in usa
- the worst hurricane in history
- biggest hurricane to hit florida
- worst hurricane to hit texas
- year 2005 events timeline
- 2005 f150 5 4 engine diagram
- major events 2005 2015