Hurricane Chief's Job in Peril!
Fails to predict disastrous storms.
Posted on 07/06/2007 9:57:18 PM PDT by bd476
The new director of the National Hurricane Center, under fire from staff members who wanted him ousted, said Friday that he won't resign and that the disagreements can be resolved.
Director Bill Proenza replaced Max Mayfield in January. On Thursday, 23 employees - about half his staff - urged the government to removed him immediately.
"We may have some disagreements in the philosophy of making changes at the hurricane center in the future as far as what we want for new capability, new science and technology," Proenza said in a phone interview. "Does that justify removing someone?"
The senior and front-line forecasters who called for Proenza's dismissal argue that he damaged public confidence in their ability to forecast storms and distracted the center from its work.
Proenza has publicly criticized the government for failing to provide enough funding, particularly to replace an aging weather satellite. But staff members say he is misrepresenting the satellite problem, and they worry the consequences of his campaign to replace it could hurt their forecasting abilities.
"The effective functioning of the National Hurricane Center is at stake," the 23 staff members said in their letter. "The staff of the National Hurricane Center would like nothing more than to return its focus to its primary mission of protecting life and property from hazardous tropical weather, and leave the political arena it now finds itself in."
Proenza blamed many of the problems on a Commerce Department team sent this week to review the center's its management and organizational structure and ability to provide accurate and timely information. The team's report is due by July 20 to the department, which oversees NOAA, the hurricane center's parent agency.
Senior hurricane specialist James Franklin said Friday that the staff already tried resolving their differences internally and that the team's arrival was part of that process.
He said Proenza had misrepresented what would happen if a key satellite called QuikScat failed. It is now past its expected lifespan, and Proenza has argued that tracking forecasts could be up to 16 percent less accurate without it.
"He has been very loudly saying if it failed our forecasts for landfalling storms would be degraded, that warning areas would need to be expanded," Franklin said. "None of that is the case, and he knows that we feel that way. The science is not there to back up the claims that he's making."
Franklin worried that Proenza's statements would result in inferior technology hastily being substituted for QuikScat, possibly funded with money pulled from reconnaissance flights sent to investigate Atlantic storms.
"Nobody's happy about doing what we did," Franklin said. "We tried so hard not to go this route. There are costs involved, but the costs of not speaking up for the nation's hurricane program were higher in the long run."
A telephone message left for NOAA's Washington office was not immediately returned.
Associated Press writer Jennifer Kay contributed to this report.
There’s calm in his eye, but he gets so blown away
See also:
Hurricane center chief issues final warning
National Hurricane Center chief named National Hurricane Center chief named
Sounds like a politician … I won’t leave, and shortly thereafter, they are gone.
Senior hurricane specialist James Franklin said Friday that the staff already tried resolving their differences internally and that the team’s arrival was part of that process.
He said Proenza had misrepresented what would happen if a key satellite called QuikScat failed. It is now past its expected lifespan, and Proenza has argued that tracking forecasts could be up to 16 percent less accurate without it.
“He has been very loudly saying if it failed our forecasts for landfalling storms would be degraded, that warning areas would need to be expanded,” Franklin said. “None of that is the case, and he knows that we feel that way. The science is not there to back up the claims that he’s making.”
Franklin worried that Proenza’s statements would result in inferior technology hastily being substituted for QuikScat, possibly funded with money pulled from reconnaissance flights sent to investigate Atlantic storms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
QuickScat good,,,(me likey sat)or(doppler)...
C-130 better,,,(for long range),,,JMHO...;0)
So where dose the money lead us?
Hurricane Hunters are the best. :-)
Excellent question, ThomasThomas!
I don’t know anything about QuikScat.
But, my daddy was a Meteorologist.
He was able to “call” Camille’s strength a week before landfall.
Maybe I’m not reading this right, but the new guy seems to be...very political?
It’s so good to “see” you again! ;o)
...disguised in a burqa
The guy is ticked off because the government spent like 100 mill on some PR stunt for the Hurricane Center instead of using the money for something more important (a satellite comes to mind!). I can’t blame him, really. Funny watching all these scientists on the local news here in So Fla. Most of them spoke English with such an accent, I had trouble understanding them.
I watched two hurricans hit my state,,,I want all I can get...FWIW : I want doppler in the Gulf on some of the old rigs ...:0/...just cost...just damn...
I’m with you!
Doppler is a GOOD thing! ;o)
But, what the heck is up with this new guy?
I guess I don’t understand what’s going on.
I agree! I don't know if this is bureaucratic infighting gone wild, or if there is an ideological axe being ground here.
Just another money-grab~~~power-grab/game...(grrrrrrr)...
|
8 records found in 0.1563 seconds. Total for this search: $2,750 |
Search Criteria: |
|
Contributor |
Occupation |
Date |
Amount |
Recipient |
|
PROENZA, WILLIAM |
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE/REGIONAL D |
8/13/2004 |
$500 |
Kerry, John |
|
PROENZA, WILLIAM MR |
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE/METEOROLOG |
12/11/2006 |
$500 |
Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana |
|
PROENZA, WILLIAM MR |
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICES/DIRECTOR |
8/15/2003 |
$250 |
Republican National Cmte |
|
PROENZA, WILLIAM MR |
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICES/DIRECTOR |
9/29/2003 |
$250 |
Republican National Cmte |
|
PROENZA, WILLIAM MR |
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICES/DIRECTOR |
12/18/2003 |
$250 |
Republican National Cmte |
|
PROENZA, WILLIAM MR |
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICES/DIRECTOR |
4/19/2004 |
$250 |
Republican National Cmte |
|
PROENZA, XAVIER W |
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/METEOROLO |
8/28/2006 |
$500 |
National Weather Service Employees Org |
|
PROENZA, XAVIER W |
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/METEOROLO |
1/4/2006 |
$250 |
National Weather Service Employees Org |
Cue Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Rusty and the Barn Burner.
Somebody please get a picture from Twister.
Based on those figures, I’m guessing that he had his lobotomy sometime between April and August in 2004.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.