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<br />.;:. '.'i~ <br />.:.~~,#r.. . <br />..:':':'~f <br />,."'.....- <br />:."-. <br /> <br />ooa~ 70 <br /> <br />flooding will occur, and action <br />Is necessary to warn the:pub1ic <br />to evacuate potential flood <br />areas.. . <br /> <br />Mode 4: Flooding Is occurring; MARS ',.:lr. <br />operations focus on dlsaster"~< <br />management. <br /> <br />5. FLOOO DETECTION OPERATioNS <br />., <br /> <br />Under normal conditions (Mode 0), the' <br />point for' receiving Information about potentIal <br />flooding ~s the Boulder Regional Communications <br />Center, the local public safety dispatching' <br />agency. Its personnel are responsible for. <br />Initiating flood detection operations by paging <br />the appropriate personnel when established <br />criteria are met. Triggering Information may be <br />,In. the form.of NWS watches or warnings, more <br />. detalled.messages from a private weather . <br />service, observation of Intense storms on <br />weather radar, 'field .'reports, "or 'alarms 'from the <br />STORRM (Sheriff's Te1emetry'Operated Rainfall <br />. and River Monitor) system alarm prograni, 'wh'lch <br />wi11.be discussed In the next paper' presented. <br />A monitor"dIs1playlng these alarms 15 located I,n <br />the Communications Center; a1arms.may be <br />Inltlated,;lly.',ralnfa11 rate or total amount,' as. <br />we 11 as by: stream rate of rise ar. stream. leve 1. <br />The'prlvate weather service 'provldes <br />.preformatted advisory messages; free form update <br />messages, and Interpretive dIScussions; . There .' <br />are four'Rref~rmatted messages, called A,:B, C, <br />. and O. :'Me~s~ges Q. and C'.are' roughly 'equivalent <br />,to NWS watch~s ,and.warnlngs;,'respectlvely,but . <br />are targeted. for a much smalle~ area. Message 0 <br />Is a cancellation of'prevlous'advlsorles. <br />Message' A'-IS an, Internal notification' that <br />conditions favor the development of severe <br />storms later In the day. This message Is <br />disseminated .to flood detectlon:personnel, but <br />does not necessarily .trlgger a, Mode 1. ,,':It IS' <br />typica11y:re1eased 15 to 30 times . each flood. <br />season. . . ... '.'" <br />Once thecOlllllunlcatlons center triggers <br />a Mode ~,:..flood :detectlan operatlons:iare assumed. <br />by the :S'tuatlon'Inforinatlar\"CeAt~~",,'~.I.sary: { <br />notification Is .made,.to :Ol\"du~y supervIsory":'" ".' <br />personnel'and"other'l(ey'1ndlvlduaTS;however;' .', <br />......... signlficant:mobHliatlori.apart"f;;ointhe'SIC-'does' <br />not begin unUl'Hade 2.', The pehonnel staffing' <br />the Situation' Information Ceriter'arepr'edom~ <br />Inantly Boulder Shulff's6r'BoulderPolice' <br />employees .tralned"ln flood'detectlon procedures. <br />Technlc'aT 'asslstance'lS available frail" " ,.- <br />englneers,.-hydrologists; and'cOlliputef..: ,: <br />. specl a II sts' emplajed'iby"the'Ci ty ,pr'County. <br />During Modes 1 and' 2,' the storm'ls . <br />tracked on radar'; illrection ani:! rate"of movement. <br />are determined and correlated with rainfall <br />patterns 'Indicated by the'STORRM syStem. <br />Rainfall averages' for .the last"3and"12 hour <br />periods In the relevant portions of' six basins <br />are dISplayed .on'. the 'STORRH 'Alarm Monitor. The <br />STORRM system calculates the"approximate <br />exceedance Interval as an aid to assessing the <br />potential significance of the event. The <br />program also projects the rainfall since the <br />start of the event forward over 3 and 12 hour <br />periods, again showing the 'assoclated exceedance <br />Interval. STORRM monitors also display present <br />stream flow at 12 gauging points. In addition, <br />the computer prOQram provides an estimate of .. <br /> <br />.' . <br /> <br />::*~. <br /> <br />:,~ <br /> <br />."~~ <br /> <br />... --'-. D. Van Wie I <br />PaQe 3 I <br /> <br />total' stream f1ow'whlch will result from the <br />rain received to the present, as well as that <br />which would result from the .projected rainfall. <br />The program attaches exceedance Intervals to <br />each of these estimates by reference to existing <br />flood plain studies.:' . '. ". . . <br />'.' '. '. Displays are maintained which enable <br />each perspn to assimilate what is happening <br />outside his or her,area of specialty. The <br />:.Situatlon Officer produces regular updates on <br />the probability of flooding, .Indlcatlng <br />potential severity, time of onset, and ..', <br />locations. He briefs the Facilitator', who.h <br />responsible for disseminating Information and <br />making changes In Hode status. <br />. Hode 2 begins when the Facilitator . <br />determines 'that. the threat of flooding Is great <br />enough to warrant advisory notification to the <br />publiC and mobilization of public safety <br />agencies In preparation for the warning. This <br />also al10ws.agencles.with .flood threatened <br />facilities to make Internal preparations; <br />During HOde,2,.the Facilitator directs <br />publiC InfOrmation officers ,to: prepare messages <br />.for dissemination .to the Public, and advises <br />jurisdiction heads and' key"publlc officials.' <br />Affected jurlsdictions'establlsh command posts <br />to. manage .field operations.. and send command' <br />post. representatives '.to the. Situation' <br />Information Center.... '. . " <br />Baseo.onconcensus-derlved from the' <br />working'group In.theSltuatlon Information <br />Center, 'the facilitator decldes if and' when to <br />move to' 'IOde'3. The '.lnevit4ble,tradeoffs . . <br />betlieeil'tlmeilness' anii"accuracy beconii! very' <br />evi dent lit t~1s s.tage?'(l>eopie.ch~i:ge~ 'with <br />llIlJllerient Ing ~the)'arnl ng :'pr9ce~ 5 , always :want a <br />decision soaner ~han thosemonltorlng:t~e <br />. situation are:wi11ing.to'make it;) . As: the . . <br />system has 'dey'eloped 'over .the . last several . <br />years; hoWever,'ft 'i5 apparent'that thh"tenslon <br />can be' utlll'ted to :prodLici(decl.sjons'c1o~er. to .' <br />the optimum than. either: group'.wo~ld. make alone. <br />: The desig",and"de~e19pme~t'gf'::the , . '. <br />Boulder County flash fl09d detection'.and"'warnlng." <br />system. has been drlven.'by'p~bllc"safe~yri~~ds." <br />Thesyst~ nl!" In'p1.acemeet~,thosen~~!(by ':' <br />integra:thig 'pu,~llc 'safeJy',~~d 'hyi:!r~log!~al ,: : <br />'declsloQ~mll~ing" tn"~_~~ngl~: 19c~t Iq~Ll'~ere, _~ ,:. ,__'" <br />pers.'l~ner ~I~h~)ff~.e.~~ exper~lse~~4/~~::, .: .'. <br />perspectlve~ ca,n Interact. ' ,,'..: -. .." .' , <br />. ..,SWRRM $ystSri:pr~grams have a'fded th1s . <br />. process 'by :.eltmlnatlng detailed' data reduct,lon' <br />tasks of .thesltuatlan mOnitors, alloWing them . <br />to malnta,ln"a 'broa~er perspec~1ve onarap.ldly' <br />changing prOblem. "Slml1ar!y,. theformat.of .' <br />STORR,M outputs makes,lt easler'to":cciinnunicate <br />thenatu're of Jhe::problE.i"to"pu~llc safety;. . <br />personnek' A inore' detal1ed description' of' the' <br />STORRMsystem arid Hs ~eiltral site 'programs ' <br />follows. ." . ....<. " . <br />..." <br />