Content area
Full Text
Frequent and catastrophic disasters have increased the role of the public sector in managing disasters and emergencies ([16] Kapucu and Van Wart, 2006). We assume that all disasters are local and that the major responsibility of managing disasters and emergencies, including informing and alerting the public, belong to local government ([20] MacManus and Caruson, 2006). Early warning is an important strategy to save lives. However, the magnitude of the task of designing, implementing, and sustaining early warning systems in communities is enormous. An effective system requires that early warning and risk reduction be mainstreamed into a policy process and that governmental agencies have the capacity to be able to design and implement effective policy. An effective early warning system policy process also requires local community participation to ensure that the public at risk is adequately informed and alerted.
Early warning systems protect the public by combining scientific monitoring and detection systems with social design factors and components to notify the at risk public. Early warning systems can be seen as having scientific, managerial, technological, and social components that are integrated with communication processes ([31] Sorensen, 1993). The purpose of this study is to review the tornado early warning system literature, conduct a content analysis of data derived from the Orlando Sentinel newspaper, and to provide disaster management policy recommendations for local governments. The central research question is: how should local government emergency operations centers warn the citizenry of impending tornado danger? To help answer this question the primary focuses of this research are:
- the instrument of warning the citizenry of tornadoes;
- the time of day of the tornado event; and
- the life-saving effects of tornado warnings.
This study will conclude with further disaster management policy recommendations for an early warning system for tornadoes and other types of natural and man-made disasters for local governments.
The February 2, 2007 tornado in Central Florida as focusing event
On the night of 2 February 2007, 21 citizens lost their lives in one peak intensity EF-1 level tornado and in two peak intensity EF-3 level tornadoes in Central Florida ([26] Orlando Sentinel , 2007; [22] NOAA, 2007a). This tornado event affected 2,324 buildings, destroyed 602 buildings, and caused over 148 million dollars of total property...