Presidential Town Hall Meeting: The Devastating 2017 Hurricane Season: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Directions for the Weather Enterprise

Monday, 8 January 2018: 12:15 PM-1:45 PM
Ballroom D (ACC) (Austin, Texas)
Host: Presidential Town Hall Meetings
Cochairs:
Tanja E. Fransen, NOAA/NWS, National Weather Service Glasgow, Glasgow, MT; Maureen McCann, Spectrum News 13, Orlando, FL and Zhuo Wang, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, IL
Moderator:
Marshall Shepherd, Univ. of Georgia, Geography-Atmospheric Sciences, Athens, GA

The 2017 hurricane season brought three category 4 land falling hurricanes to the United States, affecting millions of Americans in Texas, Florida, and across Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The significant impacts from the wind damage, storm surge, and precipitation, in addition to the disruption to the economy, will not be fully realized for years to come. More importantly, the American Meteorological Society and its members recognize and empathize with the intense heartache and pain suffered by thousands of displaced residents and survivors. AMS will highlight Hurricane's Harvey, Irma and Maria with a Presidential Town Hall Meeting on Monday during its Annual Meeting. Topics to be addressed at the symposium include an overview of the season and it's impacts, the forecasts, communication and response, the extent to which climate change may or may not have contributed, the social costs of these hurricanes, and the plans for recovery and resilience. For additional information, please contact Tanja Fransen (tanja.fransen@noaa.gov).

Papers:
Introductory Remarks
Louis Uccellini, NOAA National Weather Service (NWS), Silver Spring, MD
12:15 PM
Response, Recovery and Future Mitigation
Tony Robinson, FEMA Region 6, Denton, TX
12:30 PM
Flooding Impacts from Hurricane Harvey
Jeff Lindner, Harris County Flood Control District, Houston, TX
12:42 PM
Communication Challenges and Best Practices
John Toohey-Morales, WTVJ NBC-6, Miami, FL
12:54 PM
Storm Surge Communication and Impacts
Jamie R. Rhome, NOAA/NWS/NCEP/TPC/NHC, Miami, FL
1:06 PM
Impacts from 2017 Season in Puerto Rico
Ada Monzón, WIPR-TV, San Juan, PR
1:18 PM
Connections to Climate and Future Research Opportunities
Kerry Emanuel, MIT, Cambridge, MA
- Indicates paper has been withdrawn from meeting
- Indicates an Award Winner