 The City of Fort Worth Office of Emergency Management provides early warning on potential natural and man-made disasters to residents. This presentation will provide information about the different types of warning available to the public. Severe weather conditions are common in north-central Texas during the spring months, but they're certainly not limited to the spring. Tornadoes, heavy rainfall and straight-line winds can sweep into an area along with golf ball or larger-size hail that can damage your vehicle and roofs, destroy crops and kill livestock. The National Weather Service Office, based in Fort Worth, uses data provided by current technology to forewarn residents of potential dangers from severe weather. Gathering data alongside the standard NEXRAD weather radar, CASA radar is one of the region's newest warning systems. While NEXRAD gives a big picture overview of a severe storm up to 150 miles away, the short-range CASA radar will track storms up to 25 miles away, giving high-resolution details about weather conditions down to individual neighborhoods. But radar technology is not the only system we use to provide warnings to Fort Worth residents. We still employ the boots on the ground, or in this case, eyes on the sky method as well. RACES, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, acts as storm spotters. RACES is made up of over 500 members and uses a ham radio network to keep local emergency managers and the National Weather Service advised as to what they see. The National Weather Service Meteorologist, local broadcasters and the Emergency Management Duty Officer work together to get the information out to all residents of North Central Texas. Here's how the alert system works. A severe weather threat such as a tornado or severe thunderstorm is identified by NEXRAD weather radar from a distance. The National Weather Service requests storm spotter activation to verify the threat as it moves closer to our city and continues to monitor using both NEXRAD and CASA weather radars. The Fort Worth Emergency Management Duty Officer reports to the Emergency Operations Center and monitors the threat. If the situation warrants, the Duty Officer activates the Fort Worth warning systems. The main warning system consists of 153 outdoor warning sirens. The sirens can be triggered to sound all at once or only in the portion of the city that may be affected by the hazard. Remember these sirens provide warning to residents who are outside. They are not designed to be heard inside homes and businesses. While a number of people believe the outdoor warning sirens are called tornado sirens, they will be activated for several different types of hazards. Severe weather conditions are the leading cause for siren activation by either the Emergency Management Office or the Fort Worth Fire Dispatch Office. Sirens will be activated for tornado warnings from the National Weather Service or the report of a tornado from a reliable source such as a storm spotter, straight line winds of 60 miles an hour or higher, hail larger than one inch in diameter, a man-made disaster such as a chemical emergency, or a state or national emergency. It is important to determine why the warning sirens are sounding so it is recommended that residents seek shelter and seek information. In the event of an activation, the sirens will sound for three minutes. The Office of Emergency Management tests the outdoor warning sirens on a weekly basis weather permitting. The first Wednesday of the month, a 90-second test will be conducted. The remaining Wednesdays in the month will have a 15-second test. If you do not hear your local siren during this test, please report the malfunction to 817-392-6170. When you are indoors, NOAA weather radios are an excellent warning device. The radios will set off an alarm triggered by the National Weather Service to warn you of imminent danger from severe weather. Radios with SAME, that's S-A-M-E, technology, can be programmed to sound only when the alerts have been issued for your county. If a power outage occurs during a storm, many radios have options for power, such as battery backup, solar power, and hand crank. If you work in a noisy environment, or cannot hear the outdoor warning siren from inside your home during a severe weather event, you might want to consider joining the city's Nixle Emergency Text Alert Program. Lots of emergency management duty officers will send out text message alerts to smartphones and emails. Thousands of Fort Worth residents have registered for this free alert service. It's as easy as texting your zip code or the word Fort Worth to 888-777, which will register your smartphone. Or you can visit www.nixle.com, that's www.nixle.com, to sign up for smartphone or email alerts. The Office of Emergency Management provides these electronic alerts free of charge, but it is recommended that residents contact their cell phone or data providers to inquire about possible charges. If you or someone you know is deaf, hard of hearing, blind deaf, or use a refreshable Braille reader, and is a resident or work in Fort Worth, the Office of Emergency Management provides a third warning system that is pretty unique. It's a visual alert system named AHAS. The accessible hazard alert system, also known as AHAS, is transmitted in American sign language, the message is verbalized in English, captioned, and a signal is provided for a refreshable Braille reader. Participants must be residents of Fort Worth, or work in Fort Worth and have a video-capable device to receive the free transmissions. To register for this free AHAS program, simply visit www.ftw.ahas.com, that's www.ahasalerts.com. Registration in the Special Needs Assistance Program, known as SNAP, is also recommended for residents with a special, access, or functional need. The voluntary SNAP program consists of a database that provides location, contact information, and information on the person's special, access, or functional need for first responders and emergency management personnel. The City of Fort Worth Office of Emergency Management does not define a special need. We leave that decision up to the individual. You can register in the SNAP program by visiting www.snapforyu.org, that's www.snapforyu.org. This can also receive warning from the Emergency Alert System over local radio and television broadcasts and the National Weather Service NOAA Weather Radios, which can be programmed to receive alerts for your county. The better prepared you are for a possible disaster, the better you will fare if it happens. The Fort Worth Office of Emergency Management is a proud partner in the regional Know What to Do Emergency Preparedness Public Education Campaign. You can get lifesaving safety information by visiting the Know What to Do website at www.knowwhattodo.com, that's www.k-n-o-w-h-a-t, the number two d-o dot com, or thinkprepareact dot com. If you are a new resident to North Central Texas, or have lived here for all of your life, you should know about the local weather conditions we face, and the possibility of a man-made disaster in a large metropolitan area. Most residents will tell you that our main concern is severe weather, with its tornadoes, lightning, heavy rainfall and flash flooding. The Office of Emergency Management recommends residents develop a personal safety plan for themselves and their families, knowing where to go in an emergency, knowing where to obtain information, and having a 72-hour emergency kit on hand is key to weathering a major storm or man-made disaster. Let's start on where you will be able to gather information. There are several choices on how to receive early warnings and official instructions before, during, and after a disaster. It's important to be informed as to what is happening so you will know what to do. Your family should have a communications plan in case you are separated when a disaster strikes. Each family member should know how to contact others after a local disaster. Remember wired telephones and cell phones may be down after a storm. If cell phone service is jammed, you will not be able to speak with each other, but text messages can usually get through. Have your family build a 72-hour emergency kit. If a severe weather disaster such as a tornado were to strike for it worth, it might take three days for first responders to physically reach you. Make sure you have enough food, water, and supplies for every member of your family. If you or a member of your family has an access or functional need, you'll want to make sure you have everything they'll need inside your kit. It is recommended that you have a two-week supply of any prescription medication and any special dietary needs in your kit. An alternate power supply such as a portable generator would be beneficial to keep medications cold and power life support equipment if necessary. You'll also want to make sure that you have adequate insurance to cover any losses you might encounter. Keep a duplicate set of important documents in a watertight envelope in your emergency kit. And don't forget about your pets. They depend on you for their protection also. Make sure your emergency kit has everything your pet will need to weather a storm. For additional information on preparing for a local, natural, or man-made disaster or to find local and federal governmental services, you can visit these websites. This has been a presentation of the Fort Worth Office of Emergency Management.