Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Wisconsin: Civil Danger Warning

This is getting scary.

I don't remember a "civil danger warning" being issued under any conditions.

What's a civil danger warning?

Civil Danger Warning (CDW) A warning of an event that presents a danger to a significant civilian population. The CDW, which usually warns of a specific hazard and gives specific protective action, has a higher priority than the Local Area Emergency (LAE). Examples include contaminated water supply and imminent or in-progress military or terrorist attack. Public protective actions could include evacuation, shelter in place, or other actions (such as boiling contaminated water or seeking medical treatment).

An "imminent or in-progress military or terrorist attack"?

Creepy.


From the National Weather Service:
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED

CIVIL DANGER WARNING

WISCONSIN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN
WISCONSIN
RELAYED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1233 AM CST WED FEB 2 2011

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE WISCONSIN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WISCONSIN.

DRIVING IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS TONIGHT ON ALL ROADS IN SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. IF YOU BECOME STRANDED...EMERGENCY VEHICLES MAY NOT BE ABLE TO REACH YOU.

IF YOU ARE STRANDED...DO NOT LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE. RUN YOUR VEHICLE 10 MINUTES PER HOUR...AND CRACK A DOWN WIND WINDOW FOR VENTILATION.

In effect, the roads are impassable.

Emergency assistance may not be able to get to those in need of assistance.

This makes me realize that I do take emergency personnel for granted. Call 911 and help will arrive.

Maybe not tonight.

5 comments:

GOONKA said...

The CDW is NOT because of emminent terrorist acts. It is because they are TRYING to tell people : DO NOT DRIVE - if they become stranded, they are at/in peril.

Mary said...

Did you read the definition of "Civil Danger Warning" that I COPIED and PASTED from
"APPENDIX C: MASTER LIST OF EAS EVENT CODES USED IN WISCONSIN"? I link to the source. I didn't make it up.

"Examples include contaminated water supply and imminent or in-progress military or terrorist attack. "

In the case of THIS event - the blizzard - of course the danger wasn't a terrorist attack.

Good grief.

The danger "to a significant civilian population" is impassable roads, meaning emergency vehicles couldn't reach those in need of assistance. Driving is so hazardous the warning was issued.

Is that really so difficult to understand?

Michelle said...

I believe Goonka understood what you were saying, however, by separating one sentence and bolding it, you may lead some people (who most likely didn't read the rest of your post) to believe that we're under a civil warning due to terrorist attack.

The next thing you know, the sky is falling, Chicken Little is screaming at us to get inside, etc. etc.

I understand your commentary on the definition of civil warning, but misunderstanding may arise by your highlighting of strategic portions of that definition.

Mary said...

My post misled people into believing a terrorist attack was imminent?

Are you serious?

OK.
__________

ATTENTION READERS:

THE CIVIL DANGER WARNING CURRENTLY IN EFFECT IS RELATED TO THE BLIZZARD, NOT A TERRORIST ATTACK.

__________

Anonymous said...

This civil danger warning is valid. Here is a youtube video saying the exact same announcement. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKOEYZsPxZs