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SCENARIO It's late in the evening, and you are awakened by a phone alert indicating that a Tornado Warning has just been issued for your county until 11pm.
How should you respond to this? |
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| - Take protective shelter now. |  |
NO...you don't need to take shelter if your location is not in danger...this could be a false alarm. | |||
| - Ignore the warning due to the issue of false alarms. | |
NO...eventually you'll be in the path of a deadly hazard, with disasterous consequences if ignored. | |||
| - Confirm your location is in imminent danger. | |
YES...this is the key life-protecting step that supports good decisions. | |||
What is "Threat Confirmation"? |
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Government warnings only provide an initial alert to a potential hazard somewhere within the warning area, yet recommend that everyone within the warning areas take cover now. Threat Confirmation is the key step by which you answer the "Where" and "When" questions regarding the hazard. Is there a threat for your location, and if so, when? Do you need to take cover now if there is no threat for your location, or if the threat is still 45 minutes away? What's the best approach for accurately achieving Threat Confirmation prior to taking any action? |
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| - Looking outside to see if a hazard is approaching | |
NO...clouds and rain typically block the vew of hazards, and you can't see anything at night. | |||
| - Reading the warning text product | |
NO...this is not easily accessible, and the information is often inaccurate/unreliable, especially for larger warning areas. | |||
| - Viewing local TV station coverage of the storms | |
YES...the station may display radar imagery and zoom in on locations in the path of hazards; and NO...if station is not broadcasting storm coverage, or not focused on your area, or you can't access the broadcast. |
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| - Viewing radar imagery online or on a smartphone app | |
YES...this is always available for assessing the threat level for your location. | |||
Why is Threat Confirmation Important? |
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Threat Confirmation is the key step to not only ensure you take protective action when your location is in imminent danger, but also to reduce the impact of false alarms, which are considerable with government warnings. You don't need to take cover if your location is not in the path of the hazard. >>> Doppler Radar is the key technology for Threat Confirmation. <<< - Good News: radar imagery is taxpayer funded, thus free to access online or through a phone app. New Educational Resource Online: Radar Interpretation of Storm Hazards course...short, online, self-study, amateur level for the public, and minimal cost with course fees directly supporting a charitable initiative against cancer. Learn how to use real-time radar imagery to make better decisions when warnings are issued for your area. |
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Threat Confirmation Video for TV Meteorologists Threat Confirmation Video for Emergency Managers
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