www.pdc.org
PDC Updates | Aug 30, 2010
PDC Atlas
The purplish haze seen stretching almost all the way around the globe is a representation of currently warm sea surface temperatures, a major factor in the formation, intensification and duration of storms. This image was captured in Pacific Disaster Center’s Natural Hazards and Vulnerabilities Atlas, around noon, Hawaii Time, on Monday, August 30.

PDC’s Natural Hazards and Vulnerabilities Atlas provides data in multiple forms about the currently very active tropical cyclone situations in both the Atlantic/Caribbean and the Pacific. However, PDC has even more information available to both disaster management professionals and the general public.

Anyone who goes to the PDC homepage, and clicking on the blue “Disaster News” tab, will see a selection of new stories, including individual stories on tropical cyclones that have become hazards. Within that “Disaster News” listing, clicking on the line “PDC World Hazard Briefs – Weather,” will display detailed releases from various sources on current and recent hazardous weather conditions. The “PDC World Hazard Briefs – Other Hazard” provides similarly detailed releases on such hazards as landslides and earthquakes.

Users of iPhones, iPads, and iTouch can also use PDC’s free Disaster Alert app (from AppShopper) to monitor events that have become hazards. Like the Atlas, Disaster Alert displays hazards and events worldwide to users anywhere in the world, but less threatening hazards are filtered out of the Disaster Alert display. This means, for instance, smaller earthquakes, storms that are near no human population and other events that present no immediate threat do not clutter and overwhelm the mobile-device interface.

During periods of major cyclone activity, PDC also issues Special Event Summaries for the Atlantic/Caribbean and the Pacific. Monday, August 30, is a day on which disaster management professionals worldwide are receiving regular updates. Click on the area of interest to you—Atlantic Summary or Pacific Summary—to see the most recent (as of mid-day Monday) Special Event Summary.

On PDC’s homepage, under the heading “Weather & Hazards,” left, users can read the actual bulletins, advisories and discussions received from reliable sources such as the National Weather Service.

For additional, related information, refer to:

  • To access the PDC Natural Hazards and Vulnerabilities Atlas, click here, or click the “launch” button (globe icon in lower left) on the map at PDC’s homepage.
  • If you are interested in Disaster Alert for iPhone and iPad:
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