‘Miss Piggy,’ Hurricane Center Forecasters Visit South Carolina, Florida

Charleston, S.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., were two of five cities the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center forecasters and NOAA Aircraft Operations Center crew visited during a May 2-6 five-day educational mission. Other cities on the route included: Bangor, Maine; Baltimore, Md.; and Richmond, Va.

The tour’s purpose was to increase hurricane awareness; encourage preparedness in vulnerable East Coast coastal and inland communities; and to publicize the May 15 to 21 National Hurricane Preparedness Week.

The team of hurricane experts, aided by local NOAA National Weather Service officials, rode a WP-3 Orion four-engine turboprop, nicknamed “Miss Piggy,” to meet emergency managers, the media and the public.

“Every hurricane season, brave men and women board ‘hurricane hunter’ aircraft from NOAA and the Air Force Reserve to fly into storms and gather data that is critical to producing accurate track and intensity forecasts of the storm,” retired Air Force Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, NOAA National Weather Service director said. “I invited the public to meet and greet the best of the best and take to heart their important safety messages.”

Max Mayfield, NOAA National Hurricane Center director said, “Our objective is straightforward: Increase awareness of the hurricane threat for a population relatively inexperienced with hurricanes. Most important, we want to share lessons learned last year when four hurricanes affected Florida.

“The 2004 Atlantic hurricane season was among the most devastating on record,” Mayfield explained. “More than 3,100 lives were lost in Haiti, the second largest Atlantic toll in three decades. In the United States, 60 direct deaths were associated with tropical storms and hurricanes.”

At least 92 indirect fatalities occurred last year in Florida alone. Factors leading to such deaths included carbon monoxide poisoning from inadequate ventilation for generators, fires from improper use of candles and traffic accidents due to toppled street lights and stop signs.

“One lesson that bears emphasizing is that loss of life both during and after the hurricane can be prevented with education and a little common sense,” Mayfield said.

“Inland flooding and poor human judgment continues to be a lethal combination,” Dean P. Gulezian, director of the NOAA National Weather Service Eastern Region said. “Last year, the remnants of the small hurricane, Gaston, dropped more than 12 inches of rain in the Richmond, Va., area causing eight deaths. Five of these were motorists attempting to drive through flooded roadways.”

NOAA also had an exhibit at the May 9-13, 19th Annual Governor’s Hurricane Conference at the Tampa Convention Center, which fit right in with the theme of the conference, “2004 Hurricane Season: Meeting the Challenge.” The display was manned by NOAA experts who answered questions and gave out pamphlets and hurricane maps. Mayfield was one of the keynote speakers at the conference.