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IF IT WERE A TORNADO. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM OF THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.
WFO Jackson issued a total of 98 watches, warnings, and statements for Katrina.
Extreme Destructive Wind Warnings
The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season marked the organizational implementation of issuing Extreme Tropical Cyclone Destructive Wind Warnings using the Tornado Warning identifier (TOR). The warning takes advantage of the rapid dissemination of the TOR product to alert the public to the imminent passage of the eyewall of a major hurricane. The Extreme Tropical Cyclone Destructive Wind Warning advises residents to take shelter immediately in an interior portion of a well-built structure. Use of the TOR product for this purpose was identified as a best practice during the 2004 hurricane season.
Nineteen Extreme Tropical Cyclone Destructive Wind Warnings were issued during Katrina: 11 in WFO Jackson’s service area and eight in WFO New Orleans/Baton Rouge’s service area. A review of these warnings shows the warning headline varied, often from	one issuance	to another:
•	TORNADO	WARNING FOR EXTREME WINDS OVER 100 MPH...
•	TORNADO	WARNING FOR CA TASTROPH1C WINDS FOR...
•	TORNADO	WARNING FOR THE EYEWALL OF HURRICANE KA TRINA FOR...
•	TORNADO	WARNING FOR...
The lack of a standard headline could cause confusion among the public and our partners. In a number of issuances, the format of the Extreme Tropical Cyclone Destructive Wind Warnings was also not consistent with NWS policy.
The feedback from users and partners regarding the usefulness of this new warning was mixed. Most thought the Extreme Tropical Cyclone Destructive Wind Warnings were useful and valuable in terms of providing timely detail and appropriate information on protective action. Some broadcasters, however, pointed out specific cases where the use of the TOR identifier for multiple threats presents the potential for confusion. In one case during Katrina, a Tornado Warning was in effect north of Meridian, while a TOR for Extreme Tropical Cyclone Destructive Winds was issued south of Meridian. This made it difficult for broadcasters to display and explain the difference.
The NWS is currently working to develop a separate dissemination code for Extreme Tropical Cyclone Destructive Wind Warnings; however, it will take a minimum of three years to obtain an Emergency Alert System (EAS) identifier. In the meantime, format changes will be made to the product (issued under TOR identifier) used for Extreme Tropical Cyclone Destructive Winds to alleviate confusion where possible.
There was another problem with the Extreme Tropical Destructive Wind Warnings with regard to the language contained in the product. The standard advice
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