SportsTurf

October 2013

SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.

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steps by FEMA for you to follow to help increase the chances of eligibility for financial aid reimbursement. (http://www.fema.gov/pdf/government/grant/pa/fema323_app_ha ndbk.pdf ) 1. The governor of your state requests federal assistance. 2. Federal and state governments collect information on the extent of damages and put together a damage assessment report. 3. The President signs off for state of emergency or disaster relief funding. 4. Your local state will brief all applicants and work closely with you once approved. 5. FEMA and your local state representative will meet with meet with you and your administration for a kick off meeting. 6. The FEMA staff will work with you on projects and estimating cost. 7. Your local and state appointees and FEMA will evaluate all damage assessment cost. 8. FEMA will transfer funding to the state and you will work with state official to obtain funding. 9. After you obtain funding on any project, FEMA and your state will work with you until work is complete. 10. The final step is closing out your project along with FEMA and your local state official. Precautions for Weather Patterns: The National Weather Service has learned over the past few years the predictability of certain types of weather patterns that could help you to forecast. This forecasting could help you to prepare for what items you may need or to add more contingences in your budget for events such as an extreme drought year or vice versa an extreme rainy year and snowy winter. I have looked up a lot of facts from the National Weather Service http://www.weather.gov/ and put together a list that might be a useful tool when forecasting your budget for your next fiscal year. La- Niña is unusually drier conditions in the southwest of the United States that starts in late summer and actually continues through the winter. The Central Plains will have drier than normal conditions in the fall and in the Southeast, theirs will be start in the winter with warmer temperature than normal. On the opposite end of this spectrum the Pacific Northwest will encounter wetter conditions and cooler temperatures then normal and also with a well establish La-Niña you will have fewer costal storms in the northeast, but more Alberta Clippers with more milder and warmer temperature then normal. I would caution; however, La Niña typically brings more hurricanes to the Atlantic coast and less to the Pacific coast. EL-Niño typically brings drought conditions through the northwest to the northeast of the United States. The winters are very mild and above normal temperatures; however, extreme flooding could hit the Gulf States in the winter months. Pineapple Express typically causes wide-spread flooding, strong winds to the Pacific coast and heavy snow accumulations to northwest. Siberian Express typically brings polar air from the Siberian www.stma.org and across Western Canada in a southward trend to the central, northeastern and sometimes the southeastern part of the United States. This weather front will bring extreme cold weather temperatures that could linger for days and even weeks. Mother Nature will always be unpredictable and will always have the last word. All of us who have been in the business long enough already knows this; however, planning for severe weather events to saves lives, property and equipment should be on everyone's radar. Having a plan in place and the resources ready in case of a catastrophic weather event happens at your sports field complex can heighten your readiness and professionalism for your employer and even more importantly to your community. I hope you will never have to go through any severe weather event. I know our jobs can be difficult enough without Mother Nature barring down her wrath on us. No matter if you have a simple plan or a complex plan, it still boils down to one thing, it's a plan and planning is always good. Sometimes a community event as simple as a ball game could bring back a sense of normalcy and help in the healing process to your community. I think at times we can do more for our community then we may even realize. n Kevin Mercer, CSFM, works at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY. SportsTurf 35

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