Weather Prepared Checklist: Multi-Agency, Large Organization

I. Getting Started:  Build Your Team

Organize a dedicated Weather Watch Team that will:

• Monitor for developing weather threats (some times days in advance) and communicate potential hazards with personnel.
• Disseminate important weather information through the organization.
• Ensure weather response plans you will develop are activated when triggered.

• Designate at least two individuals who will be responsible for maintaining ‘Weather Prepared’ status & documentation.
• Review: “Being Weather Ready”

• Review: “Be a Force of Nature” from the Weather Ready Nation (WRN) website.
• Watch: Introduction to the NWS Baltimore/Washington Office – 4 minute video

• Complete: on-line FEMA IS-271 Course, 2^nd edition (Anticipating Hazardous Weather & Community Risk) – 9 hours.  

II. Develop Plans for Weather Threats

Develop emergency plans for various weather threats that can impact our area (from the lesser more frequent threats, to the rare but catastrophic threats). Use this page to help build your plans.

• Plans should all include Triggers & Procedures:
  • Triggers to activate your plans
    • Triggers can be:
      • NWS Watch, Warnings, or Advisories
      • Thresholds
        • Ex.) 6” of snow or 50 mph wind gusts
        • If used, include if this is a forecast or observed threshold
      • Other
    • Each plan may have more than one threshold/trigger to activate different levels of severity of response.
    • Create a “quick list” of your activation thresholds/triggers for ready access.
  • Procedures for effective staff response.  
    • Define low, medium, high, and extreme impacts from the different types of dangerous weather and list the agency response to each. Examples:
      • Define what an extreme impact is on your agency due to a winter storm and what is the preparedness and response?
      • A damaging tornado is set to make a direct impact on your facility within 15 minutes, what is the response?
      • 5 inches of rainfall has fallen in 2 hours causing flash flooding. Your facility is in the direct path of rising waters. What is the response?
    • Include evacuation plans where needed
    • How response could be impacted if resources are lost for several days?

Make your response and preparation plans available to employees. Share plans with your city/county Emergency Manager in your local government.

Perform a mock training exercise simulating a worst case weather scenario for a large organization. Involve staff.

III. Weather Observation and Warning Reception                                                                                               

Have continuous weather monitoring capability when facilities are staffed.

Have multiple ways of receiving weather forecasts and warnings which can include any of the following:

• Operational NOAA Weather Radio in a staffed location.
• Register for iNWS text/email alerts if you belong to any of these groups. iNWS allows you to instantly receive selected NWS warnings for your location via smart phone and/or email, and can potentially trigger plans you create:
  • Any level of government
  • Members of community emergency planning & response management (i.e. emergency managers, law enforcement, fire & emergency responders, transportation & safety managers, public officials)
  • Members of the electronic media.
     
  • Email address you register with in iNWS can either be an individual's email, or a “group” email that you set up on your end that receives the email and then redistributes the alert email to a network of multiple individual email accounts.
• Bookmarked list of weather Internet sites which should include www.weather.gov/washington.
  • Multiple ways to access the internet in the event of power loss.
    • Air card LTE, wireless device, satellite, backup location, battery backup for NOAA Weather Radio.
• Text alerting system and or email distribution lists (such as from your city or county) to receive NWS Weather Watches and Warnings.
• Smart Phone Applications.
• Battery powered AM / FM radio.

Sign up through NWS Sterling (email here) to receive:

• “Heads-Up” emails for potential hazardous weather that arises
• Monday 9AM Webinar – Weather impacts in the week ahead

Develop a procedure to ensure a daily weather check is done.

• Monitor the NWS Sterling Emergency Manager Webpage
• Review the Hazardous Weather Outlook which will describe any area weather threats foreseen over the next 7 days.

IV. Communication Abilities for Dissemination of Weather Warnings

Demonstrate multiple ways of communicating / disseminating important weather information through your organization which can include any of the following:

• Public announcement (PA)
• Text alerting system
• Sirens
• Message scrolling
• Phone calls / phone tree and/or person-to-person (runner)
• Email lists

Define the flow of weather threat information from the Weather Watch Team throughout the organization.

Develop a procedure to ensure any potential for dangerous weather is shared with your staff.

V. Maintaining Weather Prepared Status

Weather Watch Team should perform the following annually:

• Review your Weather Prepared documentation and training materials to ensure preparedness for hazardous weather throughout the organization.
• On-line FEMA IS-271 Course (Anticipating Hazardous Weather & Community Risk) for new personnel within the Weather Watch Team.
• Ensure all new staff is trained in hazardous weather threats and plans.
• Review all weather threat plans, and update as needed.
• Update your list & bookmarks of weather web sites.
• Conduct organization-wide weather tabletop exercise to practice your weather threat response plans.  Test a different plan each year.
• Update all contact lists, phone number and email lists.

VI. Emergency Manager

Reach out to your city or county emergency manager to maintain awareness of your organizational response, preparation and communication plan.

Encourage the emergency manager to be involved in your table top exercises.

VII. Weather Ready Nation Ambassador (optional)

• If you would like to be recognized for your efforts in spreading National Weather Service messages for weather readiness you can apply to be a Weather Ready Nation Ambassador to help us spread weather readiness & help build a truly weather ready nation.  (click here)