ALERT Newsletter – March 2013

Hi everyone, I hope this finds everyone doing well. Hopefully you were able to attend the 2013 Birminghamfest this weekend. The hamfest was well attended and we were treated to a great Skywarn forum on Dual-Pol Radar given by NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist John DeBlock. It was good to see many of our members, and reacquaint with old friends, including one who I haven’t seen since the 9th grade, and good to put faces with the voices I hear on the Sunday Night Net. Revisiting the Sunday Night Net for a second, it’s interesting to remember back in 2001 when I started as net manager and we usually had three check-ins. Now we average 40 to 50 on a consistent basis. Over the years the net has had very few complaints. The most frequent complaint is that the net runs too slowly. “Could you speed it up a little?” Of course I’ve also been told it’s too fast, people use wrong phonetics, no phonetics, “tell folk not to check in if they have weak signals”, so forth and so on. I’ve heard it all. As Net ManagerIam in charge of coaching and discipline, which if I feel it is necessary, I will do. A casual listener may never be aware that anything ever was said, for I do this privately, one on one, either in person or via the telephone, which is the exact method I use at work as a supervisor. I prefer handling things privately, without embarrassing or discouraging people. We have a goodnet, with good people, and I am grateful for the help I have on the net. Help is still needed also, and I urge you to give it a try. Just let me know when you wish to make a “guest appearance”. Your help would surely be appreciated. This month’s ALERT meeting on March 12th will feature the selection of the two person Nominating Committee for the upcoming elections in May. Please plan on attending this meeting & don’t be shy about volunteering to serve on the Committee or to make yourself available for a leadership role. We need some of our newer members to step up and become active members of ALERT’s leadership. All it takes is a willing heart and once elected a commitment to faithfully fulfill your duties of office to the best of your abilities. We need you to be actively involved in ALERT’s leadership and to help us build a strong ALERT organization for the future. Your time has arrived. Your ALERT needs you. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. The 5 Main Ways To Push Up Daisies In A Disaster Part 1 To be honest there are dozens of ways to “buy the farm” in a disaster. However, if one looks at the most likely ways we can narrow them down to five major causes. Before proceeding to the first of those causes, we will give some time definitions. For the purposes of this article we will limit this to “short term” and “medium term” emergencies, and define a short-term emergency as being from 0 to 72 hours and a medium-term emergency being from 72 hours to 21 days. Beyond this we enter the realm of long term and open ended emergencies, which is beyond the scope of this series. Also, I feel I must include this disclaimer. This series is designed accomplish one thing only – to give you food for thought. It is not meant to be a crash course in disaster survival, and should not be mistaken as such. I ask you to read, consider and then do research on you’re on. There are tremendous resources readily available both in print and video, and I urge you to study and learn. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… How to Meet the Reaper #1 The first method is disaster related physical trauma, either as a direct result of the event or circumstances surrounding the event. This can occur before, during or after a disaster. Pre-disaster deaths usually occur by people panicking, acting irrationally or being affected by those who do. One factor seldom mentioned in preparedness articles is the human body’s reaction to fear from imminent danger. The human body initiates reactions due to fear, which affects normal mental and bodily functions. Among other things, for instance, when you become afraid, (and fear is not a mark of cowardice) your circulatory system becomes altered as the capillaries reroute your blood away from your extremities and pools it in the core of your body. Why? The body is preparing itself for cuts and bruises and providing a way to help you not hemorrhage from multiple cuts. Because of this It is possible that you may receive cuts that don’t immediately bleed, but begin bleeding after the fear subsides. As a result of this rerouting of your blood, your muscles are affected. You lose the fine motor skills you need for skilled tasks such as texting, keyboarding, fiddling with knobs, tying ropes etc. On the other hand, your gross motor skills, used for lifting, running, etc, become enhanced. Add adrenaline, which your body releases and you might be able to lift objects heavier than normal and run faster. Since you are not used to the way your body is now acting, your efficiency bottoms out, and you are more accident-prone. Plus your brain may become overloaded trying to process what is happening and you may not be able to think clearly. Basically you can unintentionally become an unwilling klutz. The only way to overcome this is by training and practice, training and practice. And, even with this, a situation may throw a curve ball that you didn’t anticipate, and you freeze up. There is another factor to add to this. You can be doing everything “right” and become a victim of someone else’s actions, for example, someone acting in a blind panic and hitting you with his or her car. This accident is storm related, though the storm may end up dissipating long before reaching your location. During the event itself, which in our case we will assume to be a tornado; death and injuries may result from being picked up and blown by the tornado, being crushed by collapsing walls, ceiling and roofs. By being hit by flying or falling wood, boards and sheet metal, or miscellaneous objects including glass, nails, appliances big and small, and furniture ranging in size from footstools to pianos. Not forgetting getting hit by vehicles, power poles and trees. To help protect yourself and your loved ones go to a pre-designated shelter area such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar, or the lowest building level. If there is no basement, go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level (closet, interior hallway or bathroom) away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Don’t bother opening the windows, as the storm will take care of this for you. In a high-rise building, go to a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor possible. Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck. Cover your body with thick blankets or clothing to protect you from flying debris. Protect the head from brain injury by wearing a motorcycle, bicycle or football helmet or a hard hat. Put on sturdy shoes, so you don’t injure your feet on broken glass and nails. Make sure potentially dangerous objects do not surround your shelter, and that it is far enough away from the water heater that you won’t be scalded if it became overturned or was punctured and the hot water was released. Your shelter should contain a disaster supply kit, including the items recommended by NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory, FEMA, the Canadian, Japanese and Israeli governments, which are: A 3-day supply of water (one gallon per person per day) and food that won’t spoil One change of clothing and footwear per person One blanket or sleeping bag per person A first-aid kit, including prescription medicines Emergency tools, including a battery-powered NOAA Weather Radio and a portable radio A flashlight and plenty of extra batteries An extra set of car keys and a credit card or cash Remember special items for infant, elderly, or disabled family members. Post disaster death and injury may result as people walk among debris and enter damaged buildings. Many tornado-related injuries occur during well meant, but, ill-advised rescue attempts, cleanup and other post-tornado activities. This may result from stepping on nails, making contact with damaged power lines, gas lines or electrical systems, where there is a risk of fire, electrocution or an explosion. Unless you are in immediate danger where you are sitting or are otherwise directed by authorities, you should remain at your location and wait to be rescued. Wading through a debris field, with few remaining recognizable landmarks, holding untold hidden dangers under the debris, is inviting death. Unless you have a plainly clear path, stay put. But, do understand that it may take time for the rescuers to reach you. This applies to almost every emergency situation that you could encounter. Whether a car breakdown, plane crash or just being lost, stay put. That way you are easier to find, and you don’t lead rescuers on a wild goose chase. In a wilderness situation, for instance, rescuers almost always find the victim’s car days before finding the bodies of the victims who choose to wander off heading somewhere, anywhere, “knowing” that the road was just around the next of a series of endless corners. What is the time limit for post disaster injury? I don’t know. One gentleman I know survived the April 27 tornado and six months later climbed a ladder to repair some minor damage, had the ladder collapse and he ended up with his teeth stuck in the roof, a broken jaw and a broken arm. Was this storm related? Could be. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Mark’s Almanac Originally called Martius, March is the third month of our calendar & the first month of the Roman calendar. March is named for Mars, the god of war, and marked the start of the military campaign season. Other seasons concentrated on sowing, harvesting and weathering through winter. The beginning of “Meteorological Spring”, which is based on changes in temperature and precipitation, not the solar angle, is March 1 March is a wet month. Most floods occur in March and rainfall averages around 6 inches. Tornadic activity sharply increases in March with there being an increase of 2.2 times the number of tornadoes over the February amount. The focal point for this tornadic activity is the Gulf States. March is the hail maximum for the Deep South. This is due both to the number of thunderstorms & due to the freezing level still being near the surface. This allows hail to form at lower altitudes and reach the ground intact, as opposed to summer months, when the near surface level temperatures are higher and melts the hail into liquid before impact. Killing frosts are gone and the last average frost is on March 16. March is a snow month for Alabama & there is a 45% chance of snow up to one inch, and an 8% chance of one inch or more. The good news is that there is hope on the horizon as Spring will arrive at Vernal Equinox on March 20 at 11:02 UTC or 6:02 A.M. CDT. Remember to get the eggs and brooms out, as it is said that you can stand eggs on their ends near the equinox, as well as brooms. Saint Patrick’s Day is March 17, and you better participate by wearing a Touch O’ The Green or you will be plagued by leprechauns and gnomes. Not a pleasant experience, I can assure you. This March we have a dearth of planetary objects to observe as Mercury and Uranus are now sinking low on the western horizon, and Venus, Mars and Neptune are already lost in the glare of the sun. Luckily we still have Jupiter and Saturn to keep us company on these chilly March nights. Jupiter is very high in the south at sunset, and dominates the southwestern sky. A small telescope will reveal the cloud bands circling the planet and the nightly procession of the four Galilean moons, Io, Europa Callisto and Ganymede as they change position nightly. A larger telescope will reveal the “Great Red Spot” of Jupiter, a storm which has been raging for 400 years. Jupiter sets around 1 AM. Saturn rises in the east-southeast around midnight or 11 p.m. local time. The same small telescope you used on Jupiter will reveal Saturn’s rings and the planet sized moon Titan hovering nearby. Australian sky viewers have been watching Comet PanSTARRS grow into a spectacular sight both at dusk and dawn in the past week. Recent brightness of the comet indicates that it could be experiencing another surge or a “second wind”, and if the current brightness of comet PANSTARRS continues, it might reach the 1st or 2nd magnitude or become a little brighter compared to the stars of the Big Dipper. For observers in the Northern Hemisphere the comet will appear above the horizon after sunset on March 7. To see it, you will need an unobstructed, cloudless view of the western horizon, preferably from a dark location, away from streetlights. Look in the direction of the Sunset just after the Sun has gone down. The comet should be just above the horizon. The twilight sky will make the comet much harder to see than if it were high up in a dark sky and moonlight will interfere with viewing the comet after March 13. To see the comet’s tails, you may need a pair of binoculars. Bright comets are ideal binocular objects; however telescopes do not do them justice, as telescopes will over magnify them. You want more light gathering capability, not magnification. Plus with binoculars you have the advantage of using both eyes, which automatically doubles the visual data your brain receives. March 13 may be the best time to take an interesting picture of the comet because on that evening, it will appear just below the thin crescent Moon. By the end of March, the comet will no longer be visible in the evening sky, but if you get up early, you may be able to see it in the eastern sky just before sunrise. However, by then the comet will be farther from both the Sun and Earth, and will therefore be fainter. Comet Lemmon (C/2012 F6) is currently coursing its way through the constellation Tucana the Toucan (yes there is such a constellation) in the Southern Hemisphere, below our horizon. Comet Lemmon is gradually diminishing from planet Earth this month, and will circle around the Sun on March 24. Northern hemisphere observers will get their first good look at the comet in early April in the morning sky close to the Great Square of Pegasus. Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) is still expected to be a very bright “great comet” in autumn, being visible to the naked eye from November to January, and is predicted to be as bright as Venus or even brighter at the highlight. March’s Full Moon is “Worm Moon” in Native American folklore. So called because the rains disturb the earthworms & they are seen wiggling around after the rains. They are edible by the way, being 80% protein, but I’ll let you have my share. ………………………………………………………………………………………. This month’s meeting will be on March 12 at 7PM at the National Weather Service Forecast office at the Shelby County Airport. Hope to see you there! Mark / WD4NYL Training Officer ALERT www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx