For Immediate Release     

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NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT’S LATEST ¡PREPÁRATE! PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS PREPAREDNESS AND PUBLIC MESSAGING WITH ERNESTO MORALES FROM THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION    

    ¡Prepárate! {Click to listen to episode 18}   

September 5, 2023 — In recognition of September as National Preparedness Month, the latest episode of New York City Emergency Management’s Spanish podcast ¡Prepárate!, features Ernesto Morales, alerts coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s San Juan, Puerto Rico office. As part of the National Weather Service team in Puerto Rico, Morales coordinates messages before and during weather events impacting the island. On the heels of the one-year anniversary since Hurricane Fiona, Morales stresses that being prepared can save lives and help with response operations by emergency responders.

“The most important aspect of emergencies is preparedness, and for us, that preparedness is making sure that our messaging reaches as many people as possible, through traditional ways of communication, and staying up to date on the latest social media communication tools,” Morales said, whose first experience with NWS was as a volunteer while he was a college student. “NOAA radio is also a tool that the public can rely on, to receive information about disasters impacting their area.”

In addition to preparing messaging for weather emergencies, as a meteorologist, Morales and his team are constantly observing and analyzing weather patterns from all corners of the world. With temperatures rising globally over the last 20 years, weather patterns have changed, causing more extreme weather events and even changing the migratory patterns of marine animals. Morales added that observing marine life is also important for NOAA, to monitor the eco-systems, food supply and changes in temperatures.

You can listen to the latest ¡Prepárate! episode on SoundCloud.

Profile    

Ernesto Morales was born in San Juan, PR, where currently he works as an alerts coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s local National Weather Service. Morales earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, under the Environmental Sciences program. He also majored in meteorology from the University of Northern Illinois, and earned a master’s in business administration from Universidad Metropolitana. Morales has worked as a meteorologist with NWS in Key West, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since 2012, he has been the alerts coordinator for the local NWS, where he watches over the life and property of all the residents of the island, following the mission and principles of his agency.    

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