ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 12, 1996 TAG: 9609130014
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: S.D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER
When Tropical Storm Fran brought her heavy rains to the Roanoke Valley last week, emergency services coordinators say they were more prepared for flash flooding than ever before - thanks in part to access some valley localities had to computer-screen images from the National Weather Service's Doppler radar.
The day before Fran's rains hit, Salem's emergency officials installed a new subscription service with Weather Services International that fed Doppler images into their emergency operations center.
Roanoke County emergency officials subscribed to a similar service about eight months ago.
Doppler radar helps meteorologists estimate rainfall in specific areas.
Using it coupled with the existing Integrated Flood Observing and Warning System, IFLOWS, they can estimate the effect the rains will have on a locality's streams and rivers.
IFLOWS is a system of rain gauges and devices placed at the bottom of rivers and streams that measure the water's pressure and translate that data into water levels.
Emergency workers across the state have had access to IFLOWS data since the National Weather Service began installing it after the flood in 1985, which devastated much of Western Virginia.
Now, valley emergency workers can provide up to eight hours' warning against flash floods, said Tommy Fuqua, Roanoke County's emergency services coordinator.
Salem got its subscription to Doppler radar just in time for Tropical Storm Fran.
Last Friday, when Fran's rains hit the Roanoke Valley, workers in Salem's emergency operations center above the fire department's Station No. 1 monitored the levels of Masons Creek and the Roanoke River while keeping an eye on the Doppler radar to see how much rain was expected to hit.
Before, they would have had to rely on The Weather Channel and reports from the National Weather Service's station in Blacksburg, said Dan Hall, Salem's Emergency Services Coordinator.
The satellite feeds give them almost instant access to Doppler radars all over the state and country.
Wednesday, emergency personnel in Salem tracked storms that moved through the valley that morning.
"This gives us reaction time," Hall said.
Hall said he plans to have workers monitoring the radar during large outdoor public events such as Olde Salem Days this weekend.
They hope to be able to warn the public to head for shelter before any rains hit.
Doppler radar will also be a valuable tool if there's ever a hazardous materials spill, Hall said.
"You want to know if you're going to have rain," he said.
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: PHILIP HOLMAN Staff Salem Fire Department Capt. Rayby CNBBristow teaches a class on using the sophisticated equipment that
helps forecast storms and floods. color.