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Be Aware of Weather Warnings vs. Watches

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Katie Mosher, 919/270-4962, katie_mosher@ncsu.edu

Posted Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011

Many coastal residents and visitors confuse official emergency advisories regarding hurricanes, according to North Carolina Sea Grant researchers at East Carolina University. “A warning means take action. It is imminent for the areas specified in the warning,” explains Catherine Smith, who continues to work with emergency managers and the National Weather Service at local, state and national levels.

A storm “watch” would be issued earlier to advise people in a wider area to prepare for conditions to rapidly change.

Want more information and links?

• Check the ECU team’s site for details on the Sea Grant study by Smith, Donna Kain and Kenneth Wilson; tips in English and Spanish for Severe Weather Preparedness in Eastern North Carolina; and Why You Need a Weather Radio: http://www.ecu.edu/riskcomm.
  
  
• Learn more about the ECU study in a Coastwatch story: http://www.ncseagrant.org/home/coastwatch?task=showArticle&view=listarticles&id=634. And in an earlier news item: http://www.ncseagrant.org/home/about-ncsg/news-events?task=showArticle&id=807&category=news&start=60.
  
  
• To follow updates from the National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center, go to: www.nhc.noaa.gov. And to follow local NWS forecast updates in all areas, go to: www.weather.gov.
  
  
• To stay up-to-date on the N.C. State Emergency Response Team efforts regarding Hurricane Irene, go to: www.nccrimecontrol.org.
  
  
• Also check for agency postings on Facebook and Twitter.
  
  
• Dare County Emergency Management is among Sea Grant’s research and outreach partners regarding coastal storms. This Dare County Q&A page explains the process if the county calls for an evacuation: http://www.co.dare.nc.us/emgymgmt/QandA.htm.

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Reporters wishing to contact Catherine Smith should use email: smithcath@ecu.edu.

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