Findley Lake, New York

... Flood safety awareness week begins today...

The National Weather Service has declared March 15 through 19 flood
safety awareness week. The National Weather Service in Buffalo will
feature a different educational topic each day during the awareness
week.

Today's topic: advanced hydrologic prediction service ... ahps
for short.

What is ahps?

Ahps is the National weather service's ongoing effort to modernize
NWS hydrologic services. Ahps will provide improved river and flood
forecasts and water information across America to protect life and
property and ensure the nation's economic well being. Ahps graphical
products are available at the NWS homepage... (all lower case)
http://www.NWS.NOAA.Gov/rivers_tab.Php

Who can benefit from ahps?

Everyone who makes decisions based on water, including farmers, river
boat pilots, emergency managers, Municipal water supply officials,
recreationists, and dam operators can benefit from ahps.

What will ahps do for me?

Because every minute counts, ahps will help emergency managers be
more proactive to "fight" a flood. Ahps provides information for
community leaders and business owners to make better life-saving
decisions about evacuating people or moving property before a flood.
The navigation community will be able to plan with better confidence
and optimize barge and shipping operations, saving millions of
dollars each year. Recreational users will be able to stay out of
harm?S way. Ahps, with its suite of enhanced information, provides
the public with more detailed and accurate answers to the following
questions.

How high will the rivers rise?
When will the River Reach its peak?
Where will the flooding occur?
How long will the flood last?
How long will the drought last?
How certain is the forecast?

For more information on flood awareness week and flood safety...
visit (all lower case) http://www.Floodsafety.NOAA.Gov on the
internet.