1. NWS & CDC – Working Together to Communicate Weather-Related Health Hazards NWS: Michelle Hawkins, Fiona Horsfall, Duane Carpenter, Cindy Woods CDC: Vivi Siegel, Lisa Briseño, Niki Grimsley, Joanne Cox August 4, 2014

2. Health in NOAA NOAA One-Health Working Group o About 40 members across the agency o Developing NOAA-wide health strategy NWS Health Team NOAA-CDC MOU Provides a formal cooperative framework to further collaborative efforts o Strengthen science and services to reduce environmental and public health threats o Promote the efficient use of shared technologies and infrastructure o Enhance the accuracy, timeliness, and integrated application of data and information to address public health issues 2

3. NWS & CDC Joint Messaging NOAA and CDC strategy meetings resulted in a focused collaborative effort: Joint messaging on weather, water and climate related health events 3 This effort will: Provide information on weather and climate related health hazards Broaden the audience for CDC information Support current NWS efforts to provide impact-based decision support services

4. CDC Request During Sandy NWS contacted by CDC Joint Information Center o JIC is a 24/7 emergency preparedness unit that is activated during public health emergencies o Develops, clears, and disseminates health messages to the public and at-risk audiences Requested that NWS disseminate life-saving health information o Provide targeted information to areas impacted by power outages and flooding 4 Photo by Rosa Norman: CDC's Joint Information Center (JIC) during response to Japan earthquake, tsunami, and radiation release

5. During Sandy, NWS and CDC collaborated on joint messaging o JIC provided life saving information on the use of generators, dangerous fumes, downed power lines, and harmful mold o NWS formatted the information for consistency and incorporation with NWS products o NWS facilitated engagement with field offices to transmit messages via normal channels and NOAA Weather Radio 5 NWS & CDC in Action

6. Developed Special Statements 6 THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC): IN THE WAKE OF SUPERSTORM SANDY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR CITIZENS TO REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE AND HEALTH AND THAT OF YOUR FAMILY: * DRINK CLEAN, SAFE WATER AND EAT SAFE, UNCONTAMINATED FOOD. * KEEP GENERATORS OUTSIDE AT LEAST 25 FEET FROM DOORS WINDOWS AND VENTS. * DO NOT GRILL INSIDE YOUR HOME THE FUMES CAN KILL. * NEVER TOUCH A DOWNED POWER LINE OR ANYTHING TOUCHING ONE. * USE 1 CUP OF BLEACH FOR EACH GALLON OF WATER TO REMOVE MOLD. * NEVER MIX BLEACH AND AMMONIA THE FUMES CAN KILL. * WASHING YOUR HANDS PREVENTS ILLNESS. * SEEK HELP IF HAVING TROUBLE COPING. FOR MORE LIFE SAVING HEALTH RELATED INFORMATION CALL THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AT 1-800-232-4636, TTY 888-232-6348 HTTP://EMERGENCY.CDC.GOV/DISASTERS/

7. Message Dissemination  Messages were disseminated by Weather Forecast Offices  New York  Mt. Holly  Binghamton  Boston  Philadelphia  Charleston  Picked up by national and local media  Distributed on NWS social media sites 7

8. Testing a Process 8

9. Thank you! Michelle.Hawkins@NOAA.gov NWS.Health@NOAA.gov Comments on Experimental Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/notification/pns13sup-wx-info.htm 9