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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service
Southern Region Headquarters appointed a Regional Survey Team following the disastrous
tornado that struck Huntsville, Alabama, Wednesday, November 15, 1989. The purpose of
the survey was to assess the effectiveness of the warning system during this tragic event.
The team consisted of Richard L. Coleman, Area Manager and Meteorologist-in-Charge, Weather
Service Forecast Office (WSFO) Memphis, Tennessee; Max White, Dissemination and Public
Service Meteorologist, Southern Region Headquarters, Fort Worth, Texas; and Brian E. Peters,
Deputy Meteorologist-in-Charge, WSFO Birmingham, Alabama.
The team met at the Weather Service Office (WSO) Huntsville
Monday morning, November 20, to plan its investigative strategy and
to discuss the tornado event with members of the WSO staff. Later
in the day the team toured the damage area and interviewed county
emergency management officials, NASA personnel at the Redstone
Arsenal, and area media. The team met Monday evening to review
the experiences of the day and to discuss the plan for the
remaining day of the field investigation.
On Tuesday, November 21, Richard Coleman and Brian Peters went
to the damage scene and interviewed eye witnesses and individuals
whose homes were severely damaged by the tornado. Max White with
the assistance of Gary S. Petti,
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Meteorologist-in-Charge and Area Manager, WSFO Birmingham,
conducted media interviews. The team met briefly during the late
afternoon for final discussions, then dispersed.
The team wishes to express its appreciation to the WSO
Huntsville staff for their support, both logistic and otherwise,
during the team's stay in Huntsville. Without their help, the team
would never have completed its field work in the two days allotted.
Particular thanks go to Brenda Page, Acting Official-in-Charge, for
her many extra hours of support in direct assistance in the field
survey work.
Members of the WSFO Birmingham staff assisted in the
preparation of the meteorological scenario contained in this
report, and their assistance is gratefully acknowledged.
Expressions of gratitude are likewise in order to persons interviewed
during what was certainly a hectic and traumatic time in
their lives. Their cooperative spirit and responsiveness to the
team's questions proved extremely valuable in assessing user
response to the warning system. Individuals interviewed are listed
in Appendix G.
Note that all times in this report are Central Standard Time
(CST) unless otherwise annotated. UTC refers to Coordinated
Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time or Z time).
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