0539 ss 120308 Part Brev

SUPPORTING STATEMENT
FEEDBACK SURVEY FOR ANNUAL TSUNAMI WARNING
COMMUNICATIONS TEST
OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-0539
B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS
1. Describe (including a numerical estimate) the potential respondent universe and any
sampling or other respondent selection method to be used. Data on the number of entities
(e.g. establishments, State and local governmental units, households, or persons) in the
universe and the corresponding sample are to be provided in tabular form. The tabulation
must also include expected response rates for the collection as a whole. If the collection has
been conducted before, provide the actual response rate achieved.
Formal statistical methods are not planned. Expected responses are outlined below.
Estimated number of (expected) responses (Test #1 (March-April timeframe); percentages are for this test only, rounded
to nearest whole number):
Emergency Managers (county): 6 (40%*)
Law Enforcement: 2 (<1%)
U.S. Coast Guard: 5 (10%)
Media (television, radio, newspaper, etc.): 2 (<1%)
Local fire departments: 2 (<1%)
State/local road departments: 7 (2%)
Elected local officials: 1 (<1%)
General public: 100 (<1%)
Total Responses Estimated: 125.
Estimated number of (expected) responses (Test #2 (September timeframe); percentages are for this test only, rounded to
nearest whole number):
Emergency Managers (county): 10 (35%*)
Law Enforcement: 4 (<1%)
U.S. Coast Guard: 10 (10%)
Media (television, radio, newspaper, etc.): 5 (<1%)
Local fire departments: 4 (<1%)
State/local road departments: 15 (2%)
Elected local officials: 2 (<1%)
General public: 200 (<1%)
Total Responses Estimated: 250.
Estimated number of (expected) responses (March-April and September tests combined); percentages are for both tests,
rounded to nearest whole number):
Emergency Managers (county): 16 (35%*)
Law Enforcement: 6 (<1%)
U.S. Coast Guard: 15 (10%)
Media (television, radio, newspaper, etc.): 6 (<1%)
Local fire departments: 7 (<1%)
State/local road departments: 23 (2%)
Elected local officials: 3 (<1%)
General public: 300 (<1%)
Total Responses Estimated: 375.

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Average number of responses from previous tests (based on the September test, which has the larger geographical scope):
Emergency Managers (county): 60 (20%*) – This number included city emergency manager (EMs) as well as many who checked
that box on the form; for future tests, we are focusing on responses from actual county EMSs.
Law Enforcement: 4 (<1%)
U.S. Coast Guard: 10 (10%)
Media (television, radio, newspaper, etc.): 4 (<1%)
Local fire departments: 5 (<1%)
State/local road departments: 15 (2%)
Elected local officials: 2 (<1%)
General public: 200 (<1%)
Total: 300

*Reflects percentage of counties represented, since most emergency managers are county-based.

The number of general public responses, while large in comparison to other groups, is small in
terms of area represented. The other groups tend to respond in greater proportion, hence the
percent of area represented is larger. Based on experience from previous tests, the information
collected from the non-general public groups is most important in terms of making warning
system improvements. Nevertheless, information from the general public has been more than
initially expected, and is a very important part of the overall information collection.
Here are a few examples of verbal comments received from previous tests (from the
“general comments” portion of survey):
EMs:
” Rcvd EMWIN”
“We tested radio communications between the high school where I work and the EOC. I am a
amateur radio operator duly appointed as an EM communications operator. All communications
between the high school and EOC were loud and clear. I am also a weather spotter T03”
“THANKS”.
Law Enforcement:
“We are one of three California State Parks centralized dispatch centers. Our Sacramento and
Riverside centers also received this test message at the same time and the same method.”
“Also rcvd via fax. We have two NOAA alert radios, the one operating off of the Otter Crest site,
did not go off today.”
U.S. Coast Guard:
Rcvd: USCG Message System, NOAA weather product 191616Z SEP 0.7
Media:
“The test was successful, it was broadcast on all 8 radio stations.”
“The test "fell off" the ENDEC. Additional tests showed "Already Heard" and did not Set the
ENDEC to show a forwardable message. There also needs to be a provision for Spanish
language. Or, at least a discussion on providing the message in Spanish.”
Fire Departments:
“NO WEATHER RADIOS IN OUR AREA WERE ACTIVATED. DID NOT RECEIVE.”

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Road Departments:
“Rcvd e-mail: 9/20/2008 8:00:00 AM”
General Public:
“ . . .listening to KBPS radio via the internet. I appreciate that this service exists.”
“Messages were clear and audible and timely.”
2. Describe the procedures for the collection, including: the statistical methodology for
stratification and sample selection; the estimation procedure; the degree of accuracy
needed for the purpose described in the justification; any unusual problems requiring
specialized sampling procedures; and any use of periodic (less frequent than annual) data
collection cycles to reduce burden.
No formal statistical analysis is planned. Responses from the web-based survey will only be
counted and summarized for the categories in Part B, question #1, above.
3. Describe the methods used to maximize response rates and to deal with nonresponse.
The accuracy and reliability of the information collected must be shown to be adequate for
the intended uses. For collections based on sampling, a special justification must be
provided if they will not yield "reliable" data that can be generalized to the universe
studied.
Each office’s “Warning Coordination Meteorologist” will notify emergency management
officials, the media, general public, and others involved regarding test plans (and the benefits of
feedback in terms of improving the tsunami warning system). This will be accomplished up to a
year in advance for the EMs. An approximate timeline and methodology for contacting
potential respondents (numbers are approximate and based on estimates above):
• Approximately 1 year in advance: Advance notification begins approximately one year
in advance in the case of EM officials, because of their need for longer range planning.
EMs are contacted and provided essential details (e.g. test date and intent to gather
feedback on test success). Primary means of contact will be in-person contact (phone or
in-person) and/or direct e-mail. At this early stage, possible test dates are coordinated
between NWS and state EM officials. In most cases, dates for this test are set
approximately one year in advance. The example below, provided by the NWS Office in
Seattle, WA, was the proposed test schedule for the September 2008 test (as of early
August 2007). Note this includes the annual NWS Tsunami Warning Communications
Test in September (highlighted in red):

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2008 WASHINGTON STATE REQUIRED MONTHLY TEST SCHEDULE
MONTH
January
February
1
March
1
April
2
May
June
July
August
3
September
4
October
November
December

DATE
6-12
3
2-8
22
4-10
1-7
11
3-9
24
5-11
2-8
7-13

DAY

TIME

Sunday

7:25 AM

Tuesday

9:45 AM

Friday

9:50 AM

Wednesday

10:15 AM

D/N
D
N
N
D
D
N
D
N
D
N
D
N

ORIGINATOR
State DEM
State DEM

State DEM
NWS

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The April RMT will be part of the state’s earthquake preparedness drill. Since that will occur in the daytime,
March has been switched to a nighttime test. The preparedness drill will occur between 9:45 AM and 10:00 AM.
(The date and time are determined annually by the state.)
2
The May RMT will be part of Pierce County’s annual lahar test. (1st Tuesday of the month, 10 AM for the Central
Puget Sound Area)
3
The September RMT will run as part of the NWS tsunami communications test for the west coast.
4
The October RMT coincides with a FEMA-required activation and survey of tone-alert radios in Franklin and
Benton counties.

•

Approximately 1-2 months to 1-2 weeks in advance: Emergency Managers and media
personnel are sent reminder messages; law enforcement, U.S. Coast Guard, fire
department personnel, state/local road department personnel, select local elected officials,
and the general public are contacted. Primary means of contact will include transmitting
“Public Information Statements (primarily for media and others who routinely receive a
wide variety of NWS forecast products, and also for the general public), information
posted on local NWS web sites, direct e-mail (see example below), information
broadcasts on NOAA Weather Radio, and personal contact (phone and in-person
meetings). Specific information about the test plan, and how and where (web link) to
provide feedback for this test will be provided.
o Example (from 2007, sent to Emergency Mangers, media, and others
affected):
All:
On Wednesday, Sep 19, 2007, the NWS West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
will conduct a communication and dissemination test of the Tsunami Warning System.
This will be the fifth consecutive year for this test. All National Weather Service Offices
along the West Coast of the U.S. will participate in this test. The purpose of this test is to
provide a communication and dissemination test of the Tsunami Warning System. This
test not only provides an opportunity to test the communication and dissemination
system, but is an ideal opportunity for local Tsunami preparedness and awareness
education.
The test message will be disseminated at approximately 1015 a.m. Pacific Time on
Wednesday, Sep 19, 2007. The product identifier to be used in this test is TSUWCA
WEPA41 PAAQ. NWS Forecast Offices along the US West Coast will participate in this
test by disseminating the test Tsunami communication message via NOAA Weather
Radio using the Required Monthly Test (RMT) event code. We will activate EAS during
this test using the RMT event code NOT the TSW event code. The test message will
also be disseminated through other local dissemination and warning systems to
emergency preparedness officials, the USCG, and the public.
We've set up a webpage to garner feedback from the test at:

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http://weather.gov/tsunamitest.php. Once the test is completed, please take a few
moments to fill out the webpage (only 7 questions). It will provide us some valuable
information on how you received the test.
We encourage you to participate in the test by conducting local tsunami awareness
education, exercising your local plans, monitoring NOAA Weather Radio and/or your local
media source. Attached is a Public Information Statement announcing the test. Please
feel free to disseminate this notice in your local area, newsletters, bulletin boards, etc. If
you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me via phone at 503/326-2340
x223 or via email.
Tyree Wilde
NWS Portland
P.S: Please note, we will NOT be issuing a Required Weekly Test (RWT) via NOAA
Weather Radio on this day since we'll be doing a test using the Required Monthly Test
(RMT) code instead.

•

Approximately 1-2 weeks prior until the test day: Reminders will be provided to all of
the above contacts, using all the above contact methods, emphasizing personal contact
(time-permitting). In addition, local NWS offices will work with local media to publish
stories where possible in newspapers and on television/radio stations (note: this is
extremely difficult to estimate quantitatively, so no further attempt to do so is made here).
At this stage, there is much more focus on notifying the general public. Experience has
shown that notifying the general public too far in advance is not helpful. Typically, a 5-7
day advance notification, as in the example below, is optimum.
o Example “Public Information Statement” issued by local NWS Office (2008);
also posted to local NWS web page:
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
100 PM PDT THU SEP 18 2008
TO:

FAMILY SERVICE /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER WIRE
SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS WEATHER
INFORMATION NETWORK /EMWIN/ SUBSCRIBERS...OTHER NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ CUSTOMERS AND PARTNERS...AND NWS
EMPLOYEES

FROM:

PAUL WHITMORE
GEOPHYSICIST-IN-CHARGE
WEST COAST / ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER
AND
MARK JACKSON
METEOROLOGIST-IN-CHARGE
WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD

SUBJECT:

TSUNAMI WARNING COMMUNICATIONS TEST SEPTEMBER 24 2008

EFFECTIVE WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 24 2008 AT 1015 A.M. PACIFIC DAYLIGHT
TIME /PDT/... 915 A.M ALASKA DAYLIGHT TIME /ADT/... 1715 COORDINATED
UNIVERSAL TIME /UTC/... THE WEST COAST AND ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING
CENTER /WCATWC/ WILL CONDUCT A TSUNAMI WARNING COMMUNICATIONS TEST.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS TEST IS TO EVALUATE COMMUNICATIONS FOR USE IN
DISSEMINATION OF TSUNAMI WARNINGS AND WATCHES.
WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES /WFO/ ALONG THE U.S. WEST COAST WILL
PARTICIPATE IN THIS TEST...BY DISSEMINATING A REQUIRED MONTHLY TEST
MESSAGE WITH SPECIAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEST IN COASTAL AREAS VIA

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NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND THROUGH OTHER LOCAL WARNING SYSTEMS TO
EMERGENCY OFFICIALS... THE MEDIA... AND THE PUBLIC. WEATHER FORECAST
OFFICES PARTICIPATING IN THE TEST ARE LISTED IN TABLE 1.
TABLE 1 - WFOS PARTICIPATING IN TSUNAMI WARNING COMMUNICATIONS TEST.
SAN DIEGO CA
LOS ANGELES CA
MONTEREY CA
EUREKA CA
MEDFORD OR
PORTLAND OR
SEATTLE WA
THE TSUNAMI WARNING PRODUCT IDENTIFIER TO BE USED IN THIS TEST IS
WEPA41 PAAQ...AND THE AWIPS ID IS TSUWCA.
PARTICIPATING WFOS WILL CONDUCT A FOLLOW UP SERVICE EVALUATION. IN
ADDITION TO REVIEWING THE EFFICIENCY OF THEIR OFFICE OPERATIONS...
THEY WILL CONTACT AND INTERVIEW PRINCIPLE PARTNERS. THIS INCLUDES
THE MEDIA... EMERGENCY MANAGERS... AND IF POSSIBLE THE GENERAL
PUBLIC. POST-TEST FEEDBACK CAN BE PROVIDED AT:
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/TSUNAMITEST.PHP (ALL LOWER CASE)

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS... PLEASE CONTACT
ERIC BOLDT
WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST
PHONE: 805-988-6623
EMAIL: ERIC.BOLDT@NOAA.GOV

Additional Notes: This feedback survey is our primary means of determining how successful
our test is, and more importantly, how and where to focus our efforts on improving our products
and services. The information received via responses to the survey is critical, and in some cases,
it may be the only means by which system deficiencies threatening safety of life and property are
identified. This ties directly to NOAA/NWS’ mission – “to protect life and property”.
4. Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken. Tests are encouraged as
effective means to refine collections, but if ten or more test respondents are involved OMB
must give prior approval.
This request pertains to a renewal. The same survey has been previously used very successfully,
and no changes have been made to its content or format. The questions are very simple and short,
objective in nature, and will require a maximum of 5 minutes per response.
5. Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on the statistical
aspects of the design, and the name of the agency unit, contractor(s), grantee(s), or other
person(s) who will actually collect and/or analyze the information for the agency.
Again, no formal statistical analysis is intended.
POC:
Jeff Lorens (801) 524-4000
NOAA National Weather Service
Western Region HQ
125 S. State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84138

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