Weather hazards

Citation

(2002), "Weather hazards", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 11 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2002.07311cag.002

Weather hazards

Weather hazards

WeatherZine http://sciencepolicy.colorado/edu/zine;http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu

The first URL is the new home page for WeatherZine, the bimonthly newsletter containing news, opinions, and ideas about the societal aspects. The page provides the most recent edition. WeatherZine, along with past editions, forms for subscribing and submitting information, contact information for the editors, and links to the related Web sites.

The second URL is the address of WeatherZine's new home, the Centre for Science and Technology Policy Research at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder. The newly established Centre will focus on research, outreach, and teaching in areas related to prediction and decision making, science and technology policy, and integrative earth sciences. These activities, the centre believes, will help the research community better focus its efforts on issues of importance to society, and also help decision makers incorporate scientific and technological advances into their decision processes. The site contains descriptions of the new group's mission, staff, activities, programs, and publications as well as links to other sources of science policy information.

Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) www.vdem.state.va.us/01light/

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) maintains this "Lightning Safety 2001 Homepage" with pages covering lightning hazards, lightning facts, lightning statistics, preparing for a thunderstorm, and public service announcements. It also provides eye-opening survivor stories and other accounts, as well as policy documents and medical handbooks. It includes an excellent list of related Internet resources, some of which are listed below.

"Lightning kills, play it safe" 205.156.54.206/om/wim/lightning/index.htm ;205.156.54.206/om/ttl.pdf

The first URL is the home page for a National Weather Service campaign on lightning awareness and safety entitled "Lightning kills, play it safe." The site notes that an average of 73 people are killed by lightning annually in the USA – more than the number killed by tornadoes or hurricanes. The site includes quick facts about lightning, survivor stories, success stories, photos, and other information. From the second URL, those interested can download the complete text of Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Lightning – Nature's Most Violent Storms, a 16-page preparedness guide that includes tornado safety information for schools.

"Lightning Information Centre" www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/ltgcenter/intro.html

Through its Southern Region Office in Melbourne, Florida, the National Weather Service also offers this "Lightning Information Centre" Web site, which includes presentations on lightning safety, basic lightning information, details about the latest lightning research, and even a lightning quiz.

Project Safeside www.weather.com/safeside/lightning/index.html

Project Safeside is a joint program of the American Red Cross and the Weather Channel to educate individuals and families about meteorological hazards and to increase their recognition of the importance of preparing for natural disasters. This Safeside Web page describes when and where people are at risk due to lightning, what to do if a warning is issued, and what to do before and after lightning strikes or a thunderstorm passes by.

Climate Hot Map www.climatehotmap.org

This site provides a remarkable map that illustrates the local consequences of global warming. Developed by the World Resources Institute, Union of Concerned Scientists, Environmental Defence Fund, Natural Resources Defence Council, Sierra Club, US Public Interest Research Group, and World Wildlife Fund, the map categorizes local events into "fingerprints" and "harbingers". Clicking on any of the indicated local sites around the world provides information about what is happening and what could happen at that location due to global warming.

CLIVAR www.clivar.org;clivar-search.cms.udel.edu/projects

CLIVAR is an international research program on CLimate VARiability and predictability addressing such questions as: will there be an El Niño next year? Will the next monsoon cause drought or flooding? What will the next European winter be like? Should we expect more extreme weather events? and How much will sea level rise? It is part of the wider World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). The CLIVAR Web site provides background information about the program, recent news, descriptions of ongoing projects, publications, and much other information about the hazards associated with climate variability and change. CLIVAR has recently implemented its SPRINT (Searchable Program Information Network) database at the second URL above to provide an overview of the status of the program's major projects, along with objectives, timelines, contacts, Web sites, and data.