[K3PZN-List] Winter Weather January 22-23 - Briefing #1 from Carroll EOC

[n3sb at qis.net]

Folks;

Here's Briefing #1 from the Carroll County Office of Emergency Management.

Note: Hams are currently not being requested to staff the EOC.

73; Steve, N3SB

###### Quoted Text

The National Weather Service has now issued a BLIZZARD WATCH for  
Carroll County, in effect from noon on Friday, January 20 until late  
Saturday night.  Snow is expected to begin overspreading the area in a  
southwest to northeast direction starting sometime after noon on  
Friday.  Snow is expected to be heaviest from Friday evening through  
Saturday evening, with banding of snow possible throughout the  
duration of the storm. Winds are forecast to increase throughout the  
day on Friday with gusts of up to 25 mph; gusts of up to 40 mph are  
likely on Friday night, all day Saturday and into early Sunday  
morning.   With temperatures in the mid to upper 20s throughout the  
event, wind chills are expected to be in the low to mid-teens  
throughout most of the weekend.


The main threats for Carroll County are: heavy snow, high winds, wind  
chill and blowing and drifting snow.  Although some mixing of snow is  
possible in counties to our south and east, the forecast is for  
Carroll to receive all snow.  The timing for the start of the storm is  
still uncertain, but forecasters have noted that snowfall will become  
heavy and accumulate shortly after it begins.  There are, as of yet,  
no official snow total forecast amounts from the National Weather  
Service, but this storm is expected to be a high impact event no  
matter what the final accumulations are.  Now is the time to be  
securing construction sites; preparing equipment and staff; and  
remaining informed.  Organizations with events occurring on Friday and  
Saturday should be monitoring the evolution of the storm closely and  
identify decision points that can be used to assist with making and  
communicating decisions in a timely manner.


Due to the forecasted weather conditions, the Carroll County Emergency  
Operations Center will activate to Level I (emergency management  
personnel only) at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, January 20th.  The EOC  
activation level will be raised to Level II (partial activation) at  
6:00 p.m. on Friday.


We are requesting in-person representation at the EOC from the  
following agencies:

Department of Public Works

Fire/Rescue

CC Sheriff’s Office


Virtual EOC representation is requested from the agencies below:

CC Health Department

Department of Social Services

Department of Citizen Services

American Red Cross

Public Information Officer

Department of Information Technology

Maryland Emergency Management Agency


*ALL agencies should prepare to provide staffing for 36 hours (until  
Sunday, January 24 at 6:00 a.m.)*


If your agency is providing EOC representation (virtual OR in-person):  
please provide, via email to mrodriguez at ccg.carr.org, the name and  
contact information for the staff members who will be monitoring  
WebEOC, participating in briefings/conference calls, or reporting to  
the EOC. Information should be submitted not later than Thursday,  
January 21, 2016 at 5:00 p.m.


We will provide additional updates as more information becomes  
available; this is still a developing event, and maintaining  
situational awareness is imperative.  As always, please don’t hesitate  
to contact our office with any questions or concerns.


Thank you –

Valerie

###### End Quoted Text from Carroll EOC