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Schumer wants centralized storm information website

Schumer wants centralized storm information website
By Steve Mosco

The next time a major storm hits Queens, one senator wants everyone to be prepared.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged the creation of an online communication center for storm-related information to be used in the weeks, days and hours before an expected major storm.

Schumer’s request comes after the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a post-Hurricane Sandy service evaluation that recognized a host of problems with the way information about the superstorm was reported to the public.

The report recommends the creation of storm.gov, a user-friendly website and mobile application that would be a single authority for extreme weather warnings, including tropical storms, hurricanes and other dangerous weather patterns. Schumer said the public should not be subjected to contradicting information regarding storm strength during such dire circumstances.

“There simply cannot be confusion about which agency’s website is the go-to source during extreme weather and that’s why I’m urging them to implement storm.gov, a one-stop source of accurate information for emergency personnel, the media and impacted residents,” said Schumer. “I commend the work the National Weather Service and NOAA did in the days leading up to Superstorm Sandy, but their own report clearly indicates we have room for improvement when it comes to communication and keeping everyone in the know during these dangerous storms.”

The NOAA report, called Hurricane/Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy, found the evolution of the storm from a Category 3 in the Caribbean to an intense post-tropical cyclone before landfall resulted in city weather services issuing warnings rather than the National Hurricane Center.

That decision led to confusion among emergency managers and local reporters as to which websites had the most up-to-date information, according to the report. It said the National Hurricane Center’s website did not report local coastal flooding and high wind warnings, creating confusion among residents about what kind of watch or warning their community was under.

Schumer noted that although the National Weather Service followed through with its responsibilities to forecast and update the public, there simply should not be confusion about where to get the most accurate information during extreme weather events.

In the process of centralizing the sources of information under storm.gov, Schumer recommended the NOAA simplify the terms it uses to give warnings to the media and the public. Schumer argued that this is an opportunity to improve notification on all fronts to simplify, streamline, centralize and digitize the information residents rely on during extreme and dangerous weather events.

He said that along with storm.gov these upgrades would improve storm readiness and rapid response.