Florida SART: Florida State Agricultural Response Team

Corner Store Conversations

Fifty days and counting until hurricane season as I write this… Didn't last hurricane season just end?

A flurry of activity surrounds all our partner agencies and members. From meeting with emergency management officials in and out of state and "hotwashes" of hurricanes now passed still vivid in our memories to stories of another active season, every SART member has a lengthy to-do list. It seems as if all work and life as we know it will cease when the clock ticks to 12:01 AM on June 1. Although I know this will not happen, I feel myself getting caught up in the fervor as well. We are going to keep working hard in our various tasks and prepare for the impending hurricane season, too.

Keep an eye on the Florida SART Web site for updates, calendar postings, and new features! And of course if you have any stories you want to share, send them our way.

Recent Web Updates: Avian Influenza Page Added

If you have not visited the Florida SART Web site recently, you have missed the Avian Influenza page! Located off the main SART Web page, links are listed that provide reliable information about avian influenza, its manifestation status, and preparations to combat the disease. As new information and links become available, updates will be made to the page.

Please report any dead links to our webmaster. Got a link you think should be included? Send it to us!

New SART Training Unit Posted: Using Climate Forecasts in Agriculture

A new lesson plan has been added to the SART Training Materials page. Using Climate Forecasts in Agriculture includes a lesson plan, PowerPoint, and participant workbook. This training unit covers basic concepts about climate, specifically the El Niño and La Niña phenomena and their impact on the southeastern United States. It also introduces participants to the AgClimate Web site and its tools.

To view the new training unit, go to the SART Training Materials page and scroll down to the Climate-Based Decision Tools section.

Trial Precipitation Page from NOAA National Weather Service

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service Web site includes a new Precipitation Analysis page, which provides high-quality precipitation analyses to be used for flood forecasts, drought monitoring, and climate trends. The service is being offered on a trial basis through June 2006. During this time, feedback on the service will be collected to determine whether it effectively meets users' needs and should be continued after the trial period. A nine- question survey is available on the page for providing feedback.

Fine resolution precipitation data can help government agencies, river authorities, agribusiness, hydropower utility companies, and others make better, more cost-effective decisions about water management and the impacts of water surpluses and shortages. Emergency management agencies will be able to monitor impending flood conditions and conduct more effective operations during floods.

-- As reported in Disaster Research, 448, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado, Boulder

Hurricanes Zolo, Hector, and Biz Table-Top Exercises from the American Red Cross

The Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross has made available through their Web site three table-top exercises, two to be held in the next few months and one which was held in March.

• Hurricane Zolo - A Neighborhood Table-Top Exercise

On April 29, 2006 several Tallahassee and Leon County agencies and neighborhoods will participate in this exercise aimed at providing neighborhood leaders and residents an opportunity to learn the importance of working together when disaster strikes. Participants will work on activities such as neighborhood planning and preparedness, threat assessment, needs assessment, debris removal, and damage assessment. This table-top could be reworked for your neighborhood or community. Visit <http://www.tallytown.com/redcross/zolo> to access the exercise information, documents, activities, and registration.

• Hurricane Hector - A Human Services Organization Table-Top Exercise

A four-hour table-top exercise will be held on June 22, 2006 for the Leon County and Tallahassee area human service agencies to provide an opportunity for managers to work with paid and volunteer staff to learn the importance of working together when a disaster strikes. Participants will work within their workplace group as they undertake coordination of activities such as disaster planning and preparedness, threat assessment, needs assessment, and continuity of operations. This table-top could be used for the area you live in as well. Visit <http://www.tallytown.com/redcross/hector> to access the exercise information, documents, activities, and registration.

• Hurricane Biz - A Business Table-Top Exercise

Hurricane Biz was conducted March 23, 2006 and provided an opportunity for business leaders and company employees to learn the importance of working together when disaster strikes by working within workplace groups and undertaking coordination of activities like business planning and preparedness, threat assessment, needs assessment, and continuity of operations. Documents like advisories, situation manual, maps, businesses who took part, and pictures are available at <http://www.tallytown.com/redcross/biz>.

-- Contributed by Chris Floyd, Emergency Services Director, Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross

Enhanced Fujita Scale

The National Weather Service (NWS) announced plans to implement the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The EF Scale will continue to rate tornadoes on a scale from zero to five, but ranges in wind speed will be more accurate with the improved scale. The NWS expects implementation of the EF Scale to be complete by February 2007.

Additional background from the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University.

-- As reported in Disaster Research, 447, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado, Boulder

Annual National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters Conference

This conference includes NVOAD committee meetings as well as opportunities to exchange ideas on disaster response and training workshops. Site of conference is Raleigh, North Carolina. Dates: May 9-12, 2006. For more information, contact Ande Miller, NVOAD, PO Box 151973, Alexandria, VA 22315; (703) 339-5596; email: <amiller@nvoad.org>; or Web site <http://www.nvoad.org/annualconf1.php>.

-- As reported in Disaster Research, 446, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado, Boulder

Changing Hurricane Risk in the North Atlantic

This report (PDF) from the major German insurance group, Munich Re, addresses the elevated frequency of intense storms in the North Atlantic Ocean in 2004 and 2005, the implications of a systematic change in the hazard situation, and the resulting shift in the loss distribution and its parameters.

-- As reported in Disaster Research, 446, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado, Boulder

Hazardous Weather Awareness Week Essay Winners Announced

The list of winners (PDF) from the Hazardous Weather Awareness Week Essay Contest, held in February, is now available on the SERT Web site. Each region's winner is named and their essay included. No worries -- the PDF document is only seven pages long -- so it takes no time to read what each student wrote. As a responder to any of the storms discussed, you may be uplifted by the essays.

Congrats to each of the winners on an excellent job!

The SART SENTINEL

Editor: Elizabeth Wang, SART Coordinator, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Animal Industry

Associate Editor: Gregory S. Christy, DVM, State ESF-17 Coordinator, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Animal Industry

The SART SENTINEL is an e-mail newsletter prepared monthly by Elizabeth Wang and the staff of the Florida State Agricultural Response Team. Past issues of the Sentinel are archived on the Florida SART Web Site: <www.flsart.org>.

If you have a story or photo that you would like to have considered for publication in The SART SENTINEL, contact the Editors at <SARTNewsEditor-L@lists.ifas.ufl.edu.

Disaster Links

For additional information on agriculture, animals, and disaster, visit:

Florida SART Home Page: <www.flsart.org>
UF/IFAS Disaster Handbook: <http://disaster.ifas.ufl.edu/>
Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN): <http://eden.lsu.edu/>

For a complete list of all SART participating agencies, visit the Florida SART Web site: <www.flsart.org>.

 Tip of the Month! -- Animal Cruelty Prevention Month

The ASPCA celebrates April as Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month. In recognition of this important month, the ASPCA is working with animal shelters and humane societies across the country to raise awareness and offer you some great resources to help prevent animal abuse. Animal cruelty is defined as any act of violence or neglect committed against an animal. Today, 35 states and the District of Columbia have laws that make intentional cruelty a felony charge; in the remaining states, animal cruelty is a misdemeanor.