5th Annual National Tornado Summit Turning into an International Event

With registered attendees from as far away as Nepal and as nearby as Canada, the 2016 National Tornado Summit to be held next week in Oklahoma City has become an international event.

The Oklahoma Department of Insurance, one of the sponsors, reported that more than 800 insurance professionals, emergency managers and weather experts are registered for summit.

It will be held Feb. 29-March 2 in Oklahoma City.

“People are really excited about this year’s conference,” said National Tornado Summit Committee Co-Chair Chad Yearwood. “The response has been incredible – nearly 800 attendees from 36 states, along with Nepal and Canada. Word has definitely gotten out about the quality of the information being presented year after year.”

The National Tornado Summit brings together those who prepare for, respond to and help communities recover from tornadoes and severe weather disasters. The goal of the conference is to save lives, mitigate damage and help the survivors quickly put their lives back together.

The Summit includes general and breakout sessions along with optional tours of the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Emergency Operations Center in Oklahoma City.

“These tours offer a look at the experts in action,” said Kim Decker, National Tornado Summit Committee Co-Chair. “From understanding how meteorologists issue warnings to seeing the coordinated response to a simulated disaster, these tours are extremely beneficial.”

Presentations include:

• “Drones: The Future of Disaster”- Charlie Mondello, president of the Property Drone Consortium, delves into emerging drone technology and explains how drones are being used for search and rescue, damage assessments, evaluation of hard-to-access areas and more.
• “Safe from the Storm: New Research and Developments in Tornado Protection” – Experts from FEMA, the National Storm Shelter Association and the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program will unveil the latest developments in tornado protection.
• “Predicting the Unpredictable: Keeping People Safe from the Storm During Sporting Events, Concerts and Other Outdoor Activities” – Oklahoma Climatological Survey Director Kevin Kloesel will explain how the University of Oklahoma keeps fans and athletes safe during severe weather events.
• “Answering the Call: Advanced Wind Resistance Structures” – After the 2013 tornado in Moore, engineers discovered the need for advancements in high-wind resistant structures. Experts from Texas A&M will discuss the technologies, building codes and policies needed to build safer structures.
• “Measuring the Social Media Response” – This session will explore the increasing ways social media is being used in response, recovery and restoration after disasters.

The full agenda is available at www.tornadosummit.org.

Source: Oklahoma Department of Insurance