EOC Tip of the Week

Install a weather station: With all the hurricanes blowing this time of year I’m sure there are many multiple EOCs operational prior to and during the storm events themselves. I’m a strong believer in having a weather station installed at an EOC. Yes, you can get the weather off the Internet these days, as emergency managers you can call the National Weather Service and talk to the meteorologist on duty, but I like having a weather station at my location. Just how cold is it? How much rain has fallen? And certainly, how strong are the sustained winds and gusts? I was unsuccessful in getting a quality weather station installed at our King County Emergency Coordination Center (ECC). We ended up with a cheap version and the data it gave us was “way off.” So, if you can, spend the money and get a commercial grade weather station, or don’t get one at all.