NHC News Item

[gotoman38]

saddest of all is I personally think he had nothing but the best interests of coastal residents at heart.

Not if the NHC staff are to be believed - check out the videos (especially Franklin and Avila) on this thread.
http://67.18.196.150/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=95922

I see Proenza out very quickly.

[SouthFloridawx]

I think that he can't continue heading NHC no longer than 24 hours as the more time he is there,the more damage is done to that NHC office and that translates in less credibility from the public.This has exploded into many unthinkables all bad ones that has reached it's climax.This has to be resolved by him stepping down and then a new face take over with new ideas and most importantly,to unite all the NHC staff in beneficial to the public that is what all matters in that office.

Looks like with the way that this is going, we'll be seeing the NHC - outsource and privatize to a for profit company. How convenient was this...

It just goes to show when you speak out, about something you know is wrong, it doesn't matter what intentions you had. Perhaps it's time to clean house soon, or we won't see it around for very much longer.

[artist]

I would like to hear from previous employees of Proenza's - not just a few but many to get an overall feel of how they thought he was to work with.

[TampaFl]

Wow, powerful videos there. If Proenza is let go, who would they(NOAA) replace him with? Thoughts /comments welcomed.

Robert

[baygirl_1]

Wow! My laptop died and I was out of commision for a couple days and all heck breaks loose! (Or so it seems...) I'm a weather geek who knows precious little about federal bureaucratic politics, but I'm learning. I know a little more about school system politics and this seems similar-- though on a national level with national news media involved.
On those videos, it sounds like the forecasters are extremely frustrated and at their wit's end in their dealings with Proenza. When Franklin stated that Proenza had poisoned the atmosphere, I gasped. Those are very strong words. Things must indeed be very bad in that building. Even if Proenza had the citizens' best interests in mind when he spoke out about the Quikscat, that had now been overshadowed by the whirlwind of negativity that he cannot control in that office. I know there are two sides to every stor. But the fact is a boss has to encourage (if not foster and nurture) a positive working environment. It's obvious he's not doing that. If he were, half his staff wouldn't want him gone. That said, these are professionals and skilled scientists. Even if the work environment is abysmally negative, I trust that they will continue to provide us with the forecasts and information we need. I pray that someone, somewhere will manage to sort out this soap opera and allow the NHC to get back to business.

[x-y-no]

Wow, powerful videos there. If Proenza is let go, who would they(NOAA) replace him with? Thoughts /comments welcomed.

Robert

Ed Rappaport would be my guess.

[cycloneye]

In an interview on CNN in the Situation Room,Bill Proenza said that if is neccessary for him go,he will do it smoothly.He looked tense in the short interview a sign of all of what he is going thru.

[cycloneye]

For those who didn't saw this report and the short interview to Bill Proenza about this on CNN,at 7:00 PM EDT in the Situation Room will be on again with it.

[Toadstool]

I doubt Max Mayfield would touch this with a 10 foot pole, but now that he's working for a news channel I bet they are begging him to give an interview on this topic every day he goes into work!

[cycloneye]

I just saw the ABC news report and Proenza said that if Washington says he has to go,he will do so.So this is a more solid expression from him and that door is now more open than ever.

[Toadstool]

More media sources are picking up on this and if no real news is able to bury the story, it may end up getting into the public awareness.

I think it's very clear who the public will favor. You have two sides:

One on side, Proenza, the experienced, hands-on administrator who speaks out against government waste.

On the other, the science weenies who don't even have the class to keep quiet (at least that's how the public will see it).

The US public as a general rule love people who criticize government spending. Also, over the past decade or so, there has begun an increasing anti-science sentiment in America, so that certainly won't help the forecasters.

If I'm Proenza, I want this to be the top story on CNN.

You're right about the public's perception. Here's a commentary which proves your point...
http://cbs4.com/defede/local_story_187164502.html

[fci]

I must say that I am convinced he is gone.
And in my opinion, he should be.

When there is a mutiny and strong wording like this, there have got to be things we are not aware of that have occured behind closed doors at the NHC.

His credibility with the staff appears to be shot and with "crunch time" coming, they need to run efficiently without controversy and internal strife.

Whether he is really right or wrong appears to me to not be the issue anymore.

[Berwick Bay]

I am very, very saddened by what is happening here. God take care of Mr. Proenza.

[chadtm80]

Fine by me.. I think it is definatley time for him to go

[Toadstool]

I am very, very saddened by what is happening here. God take care of Mr. Proenza.

Let's not bring God into this... he specializes in turning people into pillars of salt or bringing locusts, etc., and I don't believe a pillar of salt is going to be able to help in the hurricane forecasts!

[benny]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/conte ... =7&cxcat=0

The hurricane center senior forecasters told the Herald Proenza had overplayed the significance of losing the QuikScat satellite and said it wasn't nearly as important as reconnaissance flights into storms.

One, Rick Knabb, appeared to contradict himself; he'd said in a June 2006 hurricane center workshop, "When QuickSCAT is gone, it will be like going back several years in tropical cyclone analysis." Supervisors had called on Proenza to tone down his rhetoric and focus on forecasting. Proenza had made their letters public and stuck to his guns.

Yikes! Well you have to realize that when forecasters give an opinion it has the same accuracy over time as their weather forecasts... good for 24 hours, not great for over a year later!

I don't see how this is a contradiction. Forecasting is very different from analysis. Rick Knabb would probably say the same thing over again. The difference is the importance of quikscat on a forecast I believe.

[philnyc]

Wow, powerful videos there. If Proenza is let go, who would they(NOAA) replace him with? Thoughts /comments welcomed.

Robert

Ed Rappaport would be my guess.

It's going to be Avila. He refused to speak ill of Proenza. Kind of. I mean well he didn't really, I mean....

[benny]

Wow, powerful videos there. If Proenza is let go, who would they(NOAA) replace him with? Thoughts /comments welcomed.

Robert

Ed Rappaport would be my guess.

It's going to be Avila. He refused to speak ill of Proenza. Kind of. I mean well he didn't really, I mean....

It won't be Avila. He has stated on many interviews today that he has no interest in the job. Ed Rappaport makes the most sense...

[Chacor]

There's probably a reason Mr. Rappaport chose not to take the job last time he could, though.

[Tommedic]

Having retired after 20 years in the Navy, I see what has become a pattern in government management and leadership. At the highest level, there is incompetence and politicism, in the middle are people who have values that are maintained to do the job they are hired for, and at the bottom, the many who only see what is closest to them and fail to take in the whole picture. I don't know and until this year haven't even heard before this year of Mr. Proenza, but I understand the frustration he felt when he moved into the role of leader at the NHC. He finally had an opportunity to see a much bigger picture than he had in previouspositions. A good example of the same thing was the "lynching" of the Army General who took over the role of leader at Walter Reed Army Hospital. He appears to be a very honest man who is unwilling to compromise his values to make everyone happy. I know these comments aren't going to be taken well by everyone, but these are my feelings based on what I've been able to see and hear. May God bless us all during this upcoming season.