[Skywarn] ASSISTANCE REQUESTED: FCC Comment Period Opens for the Emergency Alert System (EAS)

Wed Jul 23 15:57:38 EDT 2014

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Robert Molleda - NOAA Federal <robert.molleda at noaa.gov>
Date: Tue, Jul 22, 2014 at 5:24 PM
Subject: ASSISTANCE REQUESTED: FCC Comment Period Opens for the Emergency
Alert System (EAS)
To:

 Good Afternoon South Florida Media and EM Partners:

The information below and attachments are concerning a proposal to create
three new national EAS (Emergency Alert System) event codes for the Extreme
Wind Warning (issued when a major hurricane landfall is imminent), Storm
Surge Watch and Storm Surge Warning. The Extreme Wind Warning is a current
NWS warning product and is one of the key EAS triggers, but it does so
using the tornado (TOR) code. Obviously, it makes sense for a warning as
critical as an Extreme Wind Warning to have its own unique code as to avoid
any conflict with a real tornado event. The Storm Surge Watch/Warning is
scheduled to become operational in 2016, and the importance of warning
folks in a storm surge zone can't be overstated. The EAS is set up
precisely to give wide and easy dissemination to critical weather and
non-weather events, and the Extreme Wind Warning, Storm Surge Watch and
Storm Surge Warning fit under the category of critical weather events.

To that end, I humbly ask the local media and EM community to help us by
commenting on the FCC website in favor of these codes being added.
Otherwise, we run the serious risk of not being able to properly implement
the new Storm Surge watch/warning products in 2016.

Detailed instructions on how to leave a comment on the FCC page can be
found in the first attachment. The second attachment contains a letter sent
by NWS senior management to the FCC back in November 2013 advocating and
requesting for the creation of these codes. This second attachment provides
good background on the meaning and importance of each product (starting
with #2).

If you need more explanation on this, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Best Regards,

Robert Molleda
Warning Coordination Meteorologist
National Weather Service
Miami/South Florida Forecast Office
11691 SW 17th ST
Miami, FL 33165
305-229-4522, Ext 223
Fax: 305-229-4553Robert.Molleda at noaa.govweather.gov/southflorida

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-------- Original Message --------  Subject: ASSISTANCE REQUESTED: FCC
Comment Period Opens for the Emergency Alert System (EAS)  Date: Tue, 22
Jul 2014 14:22:57 -0500  From: Walt Zaleski - NOAA Federal
<walt.zaleski at noaa.gov> <walt.zaleski at noaa.gov>

 The FCC has opened an official "*comment period*" pertaining to various
FCC dockets. The FCC comment period closes *August 14, 2014*.

 The last FCC "comment period" for the Emergency Alert System (EAS) was in
Fall 2013 which yielded only one comment *(from an EAS encoder/decoder
vendor)* regarding the official NWS request to the FCC for three new EAS
event codes for the following products:

   1. *EWW - Extreme Wind Warning*
   2. *SSA* *- Storm Surge Watch*
   3. *SSW - S**torm Surge Warning*

As a bit of background, the NWS initiated the first experimental use of the
Extreme Wind Warning for Hurricane Charley in * 2004* by WFO Melbourne.
Shortly thereafter, WSH, on behalf of the WFOs/Regions, requested approval
for a new EAS event code "EWW" for appropriate transmission of the product
through the EAS.  Unfortunately, after several years, the FCC approval for
the new EAS event code has not been obtained.  The Storm Surge
Watch/Warning product is expected to be operational in 2016.

   - *Your help is needed in providing comment to the FCC in approving the
   above codes for optimum dissemination of the three products*.

The first attachment contains *detailed instructions* with screen grabs of
the FCC website in which to make comments.  The second attachment is the
actual submission which the NWS made to the FCC back in November, 2013
which requested the creation of the codes, and gives information on the
importance of this effort which can be the basis of comments users can make
on the website.

-- 
*Jan C. Lederman, Ph.D.*

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