ALERT ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SOUTHERN REGION HEADQUARTERS 244 PM CDT WED AUG 31 2005 TO: ALL SOUTHERN REGION OFFICES FROM: SOUTHERN REGION HEADQUARTERS REGIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER SUBJECT: STATUS OF WFOS AND RFCS AFFECTED BY KATRINA LATEST STATUS OF OFFICES AFFECTED BY KATRINA: COMM RESTORATION: EFFORTS STILL UNDERWAY FROM MCI TO RESTORE COMMS AND LATEST ESTIMATE IS POSSIBLY UP TO ONE WEEK. ALTERNATIVES ARE ALSO BEING ACTIVELY EXPLORED BY SRHQ. RADAR UPDATES: THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF THE NCF AND THE RADAR OPERATIONS CENTER...DATA FOR THE FOLLOWING RADARS HAVE BEEN REROUTED AND SHOULD BE AVAILABLE ON AWIPS AND THE WEB: DGX, POE, EVX, AND GWX. STILL WORKING ON ACCESS TO LCH RADAR THROUGH AWIPS AND ON THE WEB. WFO LIX: MCI COMMS IS DOWN. THEY ARE RECEIVING INFORMATION...BUT CANNOT SEND ANYTHING OUT OF THE OFFICE. WFO MOBILE IS BACKING UP OPERATIONS. ALL PHONE LINES ARE INOPERABLE, INCLUDING NAWAS. RADAR IS DOWN AND ROC TEAM IS ON THE WAY TO THE OFFICE TO WORK ON IT. CONTACT IS NOW POSSIBLE THROUGH A SATELLITE PHONES THAT ARRIVED LATE YESTERDAY EVENING AND THIS MORNING. FOUR MORE ARE ON THE WAY. ALL STAFF HAS BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR EXCEPT ONE NON CONTACT TO AN EMPLOYEE WHO MAY BE IN A SHELTER. A RELIEF CONVOY FROM SRHQ WILL ARRIVE TO THE OFFICE SHORTLY. A SECOND CONVOY FROM SRHQ SHOULD ARRIVE TOMORROW AND INCLUDES IMET SUPPORT EQUIPMENT. POSSIBLY UP TO THREE EMPLOYEE HOMES DESTROYED...SEVERAL ARE UNINHABITABLE AND MOST OTHERS HAVE MINOR TO MODERATE DAMAGE. WFO LCH: MCI COMMS IS DOWN. THEY ARE RECEIVING AWIPS INFORMATION... BUT CANNOT SEND ANYTHING OUT OF THE OFFICE. WFO HOUSTON IS BACKING UP OPERATIONS. PERSONNEL FROM WFO LCH AT WFO HGX TO ASSIST THE BACKUP OPS. WFO JAN: MCI COMMS IS DOWN. THEY ARE RECEIVING AWIPS INFORMATION... BUT CANNOT SEND ANYTHING OUT OF THE OFFICE. PHONE CALLS CAN BE RECEIVED...HOWEVER NO LONG DISTANCE CALLS CAN BE MADE FROM THE OFFICE. WFO HUN IS BACKING UP WFO JAN OPERATIONS. WFO JAN PERSONNEL ARE AT WFO HUN TO ASSIST THE BACKUP OPS. WFO SHV: ON DIAL BACKUP AND OPERATIONAL. WFO MOB: MCI COMMS IS OPERABLE. THEY ARE BACKING UP WFO LIX. WILL LIKELY TAKE OVER GRIDS FROM WFO TAE ON THU WHEN 2 FORECASTERS FROM WFO BMX ARRIVE FOR SUPPORT. WFO TAE: MCI COMMS IS OPERABLE. THEY ARE BACKING UP GRIDS FOR WFO MOB. WFO BMX: MCI COMMS IS OPERABLE. THEY ARE OPERATIONAL. WFO HUN: MCI COMMS IS OPERABLE. THEY ARE BACKING UP WFO JAN. WFO MEG: MCI COMMS IS OPERABLE. THEY ARE OPERATIONAL. SOME LMRFC STAFF AT WFO MEG CONDUCTING LMRFC OPERATIONS. SOME LMRFC PERSONNEL WILL GO TO WGRFC BY THURSDAY AND TAKE OVER OPERATIONS. WFO HGX: MCI COMMS IS OPERABLE. THEY ARE BACKING UP WFO LCH. $$