000
NOUS42 KKEY 081535
PNSKEY
FLZ076-077-078-090400-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
1030 AM EST FRI FEB 8 2008

...ANNUAL TORNADO DRILL HAS BEEN COMPLETED...
...THIS WEEK IS FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK...

THE ANNUAL TORNADO DRILL HAS CONCLUDED. FLORIDA RESIDENTS ARE 
REMINDED THAT TORNADO PREPAREDNESS BEGINS WITH HAVING A PLAN. 
REMEMBER THAT A TORNADO WATCH MEANS WEATHER CONDITIONS FAVOR THE 
FORMATION OF TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. A TORNADO WATCH 
MEANS THAT YOU NEED TO BE VIGILANT...STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER 
RADIO OR A FREQUENTLY-UPDATED LOCAL NEWS SOURCE IN CASE A TORNADO 
WARNING IS ISSUED. A TORNADO WARNING MEANS THAT A TORNADO HAS BEEN 
OBSERVED OR DETECTED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. A TORNADO 
WARNING MEANS THAT ACTIONS TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE NEED TO BE COMPLETED 
IMMEDIATELY. 

GOVERNOR CHARLIE CRIST...IN COOPERATION WITH THE FLORIDA DIVISION OF 
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...HAS 
PROCLAIMED THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 2 THROUGH FEBRUARY 8...2008...AS 
FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK. THIS WEEK ALLOWS 
RESIDENTS...BUSINESS OWNERS...AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO FOCUS ON THE 
IMPORTANCE OF BEING AWARE OF FLORIDA'S WEATHER HAZARDS...AND TO 
DEVELOP SAFETY PLANS.

ON THIS FINAL DAY OF THE 2008 FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER AWARENESS 
WEEK...TEMPERATURE EXTREMES AND FIRE WEATHER SAFETY WILL BE 
DISCUSSED.

WHILE FLORIDA MAY BE KNOWN AS THE SUNSHINE STATE...FLORIDA IS ALSO A 
HOT STATE. SURROUNDED BY THE WARM WATERS OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF OF 
MEXICO...RELATIVE HUMIDITY CAN INCREASE AND LIMIT OUR BODIES' 
ABILITY TO KEEP COOL. HEAT RELATED STRESS CAN BECOME CRITICAL ONCE 
THE HEAT INDEX...A MEASURE OF HOW WARM TEMPERATURES AND HUMIDITY 
COMBINE TO HOW HEAT AFFECTS THE HUMAN BODY...EXCEED 105 DEGREES.

PLAY IT SAFE WHEN WORKING OR PLAYING OUTDOORS. WEAR LIGHTWEIGHT AND 
LIGHT-COLORED CLOTHING...ESPECIALLY DURING THE SUMMER. SLOW DOWN AND 
LIMIT YOUR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES. TRY TO AVOID SCHEDULING OUTDOOR 
ACTIVITIES BETWEEN 10 AM THROUGH 4 PM IN THE SUMMER MONTHS...OR AT 
LEAST PROVIDE AIR CONDITIONED SPACE. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER AND 
NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES DURING THE HEAT OF THE DAY. YOU NEED TO 
DRINK WATER EVEN WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL THIRSTY. CHECK MORE FREQUENTLY 
ON ELDERLY AND YOUNG RESIDENTS AND NEIGHBORS. 

THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED IN FLORIDA WAS 109 DEGREES IN 
MONTICELLO...LOCATED IN NORTH FLORIDA. MIAMI AND KEY WEST HAVE NEVER 
RECORDED A 100 DEGREE DAY.

WEATHER CONDITIONS CAN ALSO COMBINE TO INCREASE FIRE DANGER...EVEN 
IN THE FLORIDA KEYS. IN LATE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING...THE 
COMBINATION OF THE DRY SEASON WITH PERIODIC BOUTS OF WINDY...DRY AIR 
CAN ALLOW SMALL BRUSH FIRES TO QUICKLY BUILD IN SPREAD. WITH THE 
COMBINATION OF HOMES AND PROTECTED RECREATIONAL AND WILDLIFE REFUGE 
LANDS...FIRE SAFETY IS IMPORTANT. 

RESIDENTS SHOULD KEEP THEIR LOTS FREE FROM DENSE BRUSH...ESPECIALLY 
WHEN LOTS ARE ADJACENT TO FORESTED AREAS. KEEP DRIVEWAYS CLEAR FOR 
EMERGENCY VEHICLES...AND CLEAN OUT GUTTERS AND EAVES FROM 
DEBRIS...PINE NEEDLES...LEAVES AND TWIGS. TRIM ALL TREE BRANCHES 
THAT HANG OVER YOUR HOME. FOLLOW LOCAL REGULATIONS FOR BURNING OR 
DISPOSAL OF YARD AND CONSTRUCTION WASTE. AND PRACTICE GOOD FIRE 
SAFETY BY NO PITCHING BURNING CIGARETTES ONTO BRUSH AND GRASSES. 
WILDFIRE BUILDS FROM BELOW...AND NORMALLY STARTS WHEN QUICK-DRYING 
GRASSES AND THE SMALLEST BRUSH IGNITES. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CURRENT WEATHER...PLEASE VISIT YOUR 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST WEBSITE AT 
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/KEYWEST. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON DEVELOPING A 
PREPAREDNESS PLAN FOR YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS...SEE THE FLORIDA 
DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WEBSITE AT WWW.FLORIDADISASTER.ORG


$$

JR