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COMET's Community Hurricane Preparedness Module Updated for 2010 (Text)

Meteorologists with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) assisted representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research's (UCAR) Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET) in updating the Community Hurricane Preparedness (CHP) on-line training module for the 2010 hurricane season. The objective of the CHP module, which was originally published about 10 years ago, is to provide training to assist the emergency management community and local officials in making the best decisions possible to protect their communities during tropical cyclone events.

NHC meteorologists provided updated information on NHC products, which have changed greatly during the past 10 years. FEMA representatives discussed the tools provided by their agency to assist in response and evacuation decision making during hurricane threats. COMET used their training and education expertise to develop a student-friendly on-line distance learning module. At the conclusion of the course, the students should be able to:

• Identify how tropical cyclones form, their climatology, typical tracks, and active season in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
• Describe the various impacts from tropical cyclone hazards including high winds, storm surge, tornadoes, and heavy precipitation
• Demonstrate familiarity with the tropical cyclone forecast process and terminology
• Explain the use and limitations of products and tools provided by the FEMA, NHC, and the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices (NWS WFOs) for hurricane preparedness, planning, response, and operations
• Analyze various sources of information and formulate a plan for dealing with a possible hurricane