Hurricane Awareness Tour stresses awareness and preparedness along Atlantic coast

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens
  • 403rd Wing Public Affairs

The Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron "Hurricane Hunters" and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center partnered together for another year to promote hurricane preparedness through the 2017 Hurricane Awareness Tour May 6-12.

According to Dr. Rick Knabb, National Hurricane Center director, the purpose of this tour, also known as the HAT, is to focus attention on the approaching hurricane season and on protecting communities through preparedness and awareness.

“We’ve been talking about being ‘hurricane strong’ because the things you need to do to get ready for the next hurricane and to survive the hurricane, and to recover in the aftermath, are a lot more difficult, a lot more expensive to do – if not impossible – if you wait until the last minute,” said Knabb.

Maj. Devon Meister, 53rd WRS pilot and mission commander for the Hurricane Hunters on the HAT, mentioned the main importance behind these types of tours.

“(They’re important) primarily for education, not only for the kids, but also for the local media and the community,” said Meister. “It’s important to show how the Hurricane Hunters and the National Hurricane Center are working in concert with local civic leaders to get them the most accurate information possible so they can make informed decisions and so families can make appropriate preparations and evacuation plans.”

Meister noted how the data that the Hurricane Hunters provide to the NHC can increase the accuracy of forecasts by up to 30 percent, which is important in helping to narrow down the cone of uncertainty in NHC storm-tracking models.

Several other government and private organizations took part in the tour to spread the message of awareness and preparedness, such as Chief, Aerial Reconnaissance Coordination, All Hurricanes, and the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes.

During the tour, the Hurricane Hunters and other HAT participants flew the squadron’s WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft to six locations along the Atlantic coast of North America. Officials from various local government organizations, as well as local and national media, toured the aircraft at each stop and talked with Hurricane Hunter crew members and other tour participants.

The first stop was in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, on May 7. Canada had most recently felt the effects of Hurricane Igor in 2010, so the NHC tries to include it in the HAT each year to help promote preparedness and awareness as well.

Their second stop on the tour was their first one in the United States; HAT participants and the Hurricane Hunters met with local officials, media, school children and the public in Islip, New York, May 8.

The tour’s third stop on May 9, was a historic one for this event. This was the first time the HAT took place at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia just outside of Washington D.C. It was also the first time four of the airplanes used by the Hurricane Hunters and NOAA were all together at one stop on the HAT. The Hurricane Hunter aircraft was the WC-130J Hercules, and the three NOAA aircraft were the Gulfstream IV-SP, the Beechcraft King Air 350 CER, and the WP-3D Orion. At least one of these NOAA aircraft was at each stop along the tour with the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter plane.

The Hurricane Hunters and other 2017 HAT participants stopped at Raleigh, North Carolina, for their fourth leg of the HAT May 10. The governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, spoke at the event and toured the Hurricane Hunters’ WC-130J Hercules aircraft after the press briefing. The governor also stressed the importance individuals, businesses and governments in preparing for the hurricane season.

“For we know that those who prepare better for emergencies, are likely to fare better during emergencies,” said Cooper.

Nearly 4,000 people attended the event that in North Carolina during the time it was open to the public.

The fifth stop for the 2017 Hurricane Awareness Tour May 11, was Orlando, Florida, and the sixth and final stop was in Miami, Florida, May 12. The Hurricane Hunters and other 2017 Hurricane Awareness Tour participants flew in from Orlando, Florida, that morning to deliver the HAT’s message of preparedness and awareness.

The stop in Miami also marked Knabb’s final day as director of the National Hurricane Center and his last time participating in the HAT, since he accepted a position working as a hurricane expert for The Weather Channel. He took a moment during the press briefing to offer his gratitude to all the people he worked with during his time in that position.

“(I just want to) sincerely thank every person who has helped me, and collaborated with us at the National Hurricane Center, to not only keep people safe during hurricane threats, but to get the word out ahead of time. Because all of this stuff that we do – forecasting, flying into hurricanes, emergency management, media communications – none of that is going to reach its full potential if individuals, families and businesses don’t plan ahead” said Knabb.

For Meister, this was her first time touring with the HAT and serving as a mission commander for the Hurricane Hunters. She said that for her, participating in the HAT was an enlightening experience.

“It’s fantastic to reach people, to see their eyes light up and see them get it – that people are actually flying through the storms to gather that data for the National Hurricane Center to use in their forecasts, and that it is making a difference,”  said Meister.