Overview

The Oklahoma Climate Survey has partnered with the United States Telecommunciations Training Institute (USTTI) to conduct an annual series of workshops for visitors from developing countries. The workshop is part of USTTI's Emergency Communciations course sequence which exposes participants to information from organizations like the Amateur Radio Relay League, the Pan American Health Organziation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

OCS developed this course based upon experiences with OK-FIRST with funds provided through the Innovations in American Government Award program through Harvard University, the Ford Foundation, and the Council for Excellence in Government.

This course exposes participants to impacts that various weather phenomena can have during natural and man-made disasters. A number of case studies illustrate how both prepared and non-prepared communities fared during disasters. The communication of accurate and modern weather information and the decisions that accrued from the availability of such information are highlighted. Hence, this course helps equip participants with the "why" and the "what" to communicate in addition to the "how".

During the workshop, participants are introduced to a number of topics including:

• Oklahoma Mesonet
• OK-FIRST
• a history of weather-related disasters in the U.S
• local and state emergency operations centers (EOCs)
• the U.S. National Weather Service
• weather and climate hazards
• case studies
• broadcast media

In the first three years, OCS has hosted 28 visitors from 16 nations. More details are available in the workshops section.