WFTND Blog Information

An emergency manager trying to make a difference.

The name of the blog comes from a conversation with my daughter, where she told me that I was always looking to help people be prepared for the inevitable emergencies in life.

I started this blog as a place to assemble all the information that I was getting every day and to share my thoughts and ideas on emergency management.

I had no idea how much of the blog would wind up being what's in the news. While it does not take a lot to add a blog entry, I just did not realize how much of my day was involved with simply keeping up with what's going on. All of the posts, whether what's in the news or comments or just a piece of information, have a purpose; to get us thinking, to get us talking, and to make things better - in other words, to make a difference.

Hopefully this blog will save you some time and energy, or help you in some other way. If you would like to see something, please let me know.

Posting an article does not imply that I agree with the comments in the article. In fact, in many case, I do not agree, but feel that the comments should be part of the discussion. All opinions are welcome. I only ask that you remain considerate and professional of other opinions.

CLICK ON "MY WEB PAGE" ON THE WFTND BLOG PROFILE PAGE FOR MY LINKEDIN PUBLIC PROFILE

Favorite Quotes for the Emergency Manager

  • “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • “Failing to plan is planning to fail”
  • “Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised.” Denis Waitley
  • "Station 51, KMG365."
  • “One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.” Arnold H. Glasgow
  • “An ostrich with its head in the sand is just as blind to opportunity as to disaster”
  • “The powers in charge keep us in a perpetual state of fear keep us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor with the cry of grave national emergency. Always there has been some terrible evil to gobble us up if we did not blindly rally behind it by furnishing the exorbitant sums demanded. Yet, in retrospect, these disasters seem never to have happened, seem never to have been quite real.” Douglas MacArthur
  • “My ideas have undergone a process of emergence by emergency. When they are needed badly enough, they are accepted.” Buckminster Fuller
  • “Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part”
  • "If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, ..." Rudyard Kipling
  • "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." Aldous Huxley

Friday, February 27, 2009

TECHNOLOGY TIPS: Handheld weather stations/meters

Weather information is everywhere, but the accuracy can vary for your specific location. Sometimes you want to know what the weather is right where you are standing. While weather stations can be mobile, such as response team vehicle-mounted stations, if you want to go even more portable, check out the handheld devices listed below.

KESTREL
http://www.kestrelmeters.com/

Kestrel makes the 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Series, with website list prices from $74-$309. The bottom model is a wind meter only, while the top end covers measurements such as compass, altitude, barometric pressure, relative humidity, heat stress, temperature and night vision. The top end models also include date storage and computer interface. They also have specialty meters for specific functions like Delta T, Air Flow, Evaporation Rate, or Humidity Ratio.

SPEEDTECH
http://www.speedtech.com/ (click on weather meters on the left)

Speedtech carries the Skymate and Skymaster models, ranging from $49-$190. The top end Skymaster Weather Meter provides air velocity, temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, altitude, dew point, heat index, and wind chill readings. The Skymaster also graphically displays 16-hour pressure history and sounds an audible warning if severe weather threatens, all in a folding pocketknife design. Speedtech also carries the Windmate brand with the 100, 200 and 300 models, listing from $94-$220. Functions range from wind speed only to compass, temperature, humidity, wind chill and dewpoint.

SKYWATCH
http://www.weatherstationcentral.com/skywatch_wind_weather_meters.html

Skywatch makes the Xplorer 1, 2, 3 and 4 models. Like the other meters listed here, the models have a variety of features depending on the model, and list from $49-$139.

WRISTWATCH
There are wristwatches with limited weather capabilities, such as compass, altimeter, barometer and temperature.

A BIT DIFFERENT
A different twist is the Bushnell ONIX400 GPS Weather Tracker, advertised as the world’s first and only handheld GPS with satellite photography and XM weather. From the website at www.ambientweather.com : “Navigate using an actual satellite photo of your surroundings – layered with all your tools, waypoints and other points of reference. Subscription access to real-time XM weather and more than 170 channels of XM Satellite Radio programming featuring news, sports, talk, entertainment and music. Introducing the world’s first handheld GPS to combine navigational aids, satellite photography and XM weather on a single screen. It shows you the perfect pinchpoint for this wind. And how you should dress for the day. NEXRAD weather data downlinked via XM Weather, layered over a georeferenced satellite map of your location keeps you prepared. It’s all housed in a rubberized defensive armor built to XPX7 waterproof standards, with a high gain SIRF GPS receiver. In your palm.”

OTHER
Other websites for handheld weather include:
http://www.ambientweather.com/handheld.html
http://www.accumall.com
http://www.forestry-suppliers.com

NOTE: All prices in this post are either estimates or MSRP, and are highly variable. You MUST do the necessary research to get the best price. I have no connection to any of these vendors. This is by no means an inclusive list, but only a guide to help you narrow your search.

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