Resignations at NOAA

[jabber]

Hey,

I have move from Boynton Beach to Durham, NC and was watching a preseason Hurricane special tonight... Kinda of a yawn compared to Florida but anyways they stated that a couple high level folks quit at the NHC.... Has anyone heard about this?

John

[Tstormwatcher]

Here you go.http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/weather/orl-bk-weather051807,0,1360198.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

[jabber]

Yeah when they spend money on a vid and reduce flights to save money that does not add up.

Thanks

[cycloneye]

Jabber,I edited the title to change from NHC to NOAA as those 2 were from that agency.Important those two resignations as they were #1 and deputy of the National Weather Service.Oh boy,this is getting very ugly.

[jabber]

Not a problem.... They were not very clear on the show.

[JonathanBelles]

This is becoming very bad. Its becoming too governmentally involved. I get that it is run by the government, but its weather for god sakes.

[cycloneye]

Now the big question is if the National Hurricane Center director Bill Proenza will be fired after his remarks to the Miami Herald.For my part,I support Bill Proenza 100% on his tough talk to the NOAA burocracy and I say to him,keep the pressure up to them,even if that cause him to be fired.Now I wonder if NOAA will release it's May 2007 hurricane season outlook set for next tuesday with all of this going on.

[JonathanBelles]

I agree with you Luis. Bill should not be fired for being loud. That would be like me saying "Ban Luis he has too many posts, he is too loud!" lol. Isnt it freedom of speach?

[ALhurricane]

Now the big question is if the National Hurricane Center director Bill Proenza will be fired after his remarks to the Miami Herald.For my part,I support Bill Proenza 100% on his tough talk to the NOAA burocracy and I say to him,keep the pressure up to them,even if that cause him to be fired.Now I wonder if NOAA will release it's May 2007 hurricane season outlook set for next tuesday with all of this going on.

IMO, I don't think he will be fired. The higher ups in the NWS and NOAA knew who they were getting when they selected Proenza. Proenza has always had this position and has been vocal about it when he was Southern Region Director. There is no way the bureaucrats could be surprised by this. BTW, I support Proenza 100% in the message he is sending out. For some, the truth just simply hurts.




*These are my views and not those of my employer*

[StormTracker]

Full-Court-Press Bill! Keep it real!!!

[brunota2003]

Big gov't always has some form of corruption in it, the bigger they are though, the harder they fall.

[Thunder44]

Now the big question is if the National Hurricane Center director Bill Proenza will be fired after his remarks to the Miami Herald.For my part,I support Bill Proenza 100% on his tough talk to the NOAA burocracy and I say to him,keep the pressure up to them,even if that cause him to be fired.Now I wonder if NOAA will release it's May 2007 hurricane season outlook set for next tuesday with all of this going on.

Why would he be fired? He appears to be on the winning side

Although Proenza himself said in the article that he didn't the resignations had anything to do with his complaints about NOAA.

[mf_dolphin]

Typical political BS. Why in the world would we spend millions on a PR campaign when we have the hurricane season at our doorstep is just beyond me.

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

NOAA is wasting money on PR Campaigns. The money
should be spent researching hurricanes.

[Coredesat]

Typical political BS. Why in the world would we spend millions on a PR campaign when we have the hurricane season at our doorstep is just beyond me.

I mentioned that in my comment on the proposed banner changes on NWS sites. With the hurricane season days away and the NHC in dire need of funding, PR should be NOAA's last concern right now.

[Aslkahuna]

The Chief of NOAA has absolutely no concern about hurricane season and probably wouldn't know one if it hit him. He's a political hack pure and simple who is on a power trip at the ultimate expense of the American people (but then again what's new for our Government). He is the Peter Principle personified and has risen to a high level of incompetence.

Steve

[Downdraft]

Goals for NOAA;

1. Obtain more scientific research concerning Global Warming
2. Replace QuikScat since it's critical and now beyond operational lifespan.
3. More research to reduce intensity errors in hurricane forecasting to match improvements in tracking
4. Improve doppler technology
5. Spend money on PR campaign and reduce funding for the 4 above.

edited by:mf_dolphin

[Janie2006]

I agree with Marshall and Steve. There's a lot of political maneuvering behind the scenes, and that does not bode well for the agency. What rubbish!!

[msbee]

Posted by: JeffMasters, 3:15 PM EDT on May 18, 2007

Administrators at the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) are making moves to promote their "Corporate Identity" by renaming the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service, according to an article published yesterday in the Miami Herald. The new organizations would be called the "NOAA Hurricane Center" and the "NOAA Weather Service". The proposed changes are being vigorously opposed by new NHC director Bill Proenza, who said, "what's happening is scary."

The issue at hand is money. Everyone has heard of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the National Weather Service (NWS), but the public is not that familiar with their parent organization, NOAA--part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. By taking over the name of two of the government's most visible, well performing, and trusted organizations, NOAA wants to position themselves to take credit for the fantastic job these organizations do. The result, they hope, will be increased funding for NOAA in the future, thanks to increased name brand recognition. "If NOAA achieves a strong presence in the eyes of the people who use its varied services, the agency will be more successful in budget matters," said Anson Franklin, NOAA's director of communications.

The problem with this is that there are no guarantees that increased funding for NOAA will result in a bump in funding for NHC or NWS. For example, NOAA has an annual budget of over $4 billion, and NHC's budget is just $6.3 million. With NHC losing its identity, its funding may become diluted by NOAA, and will have to fight harder for dollars. Another problem is that the public, who like and trust the NWS and NWS brands, may see the change as an attempt by NOAA bureaucrats to take unwarranted credit for what these organizations do. In addition, it will cost plenty to change the names of these organizations, which may be viewed as a waste of taxpayers' money.

Proenza also complained that NOAA is spending between $1.5 million and $4 million on a "bogus" 200-year NOAA anniversary celebration (NOAA was founded in 1970, although some of its component organizations are 200 years old). I do believe that NOAA has a name recognition problem, and that it needs to spend some public relations money to get their name more recognized by the public. Public relations campaigns are essential for any organization to succeed in today's world. However, I think NOAA is going about their public relations campaign the wrong way. The amount being spent on the 200-year anniversary celebration is excessive, given NOAA's stinginess in funding important hurricane research. Furthermore, NOAA should leave the names of the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service alone. Departments of NOAA should be named, recognized, and funded based on their individual missions and function, not based on those of their parent organization. NHC and NWS have worked hard to earn their name recognition, and it would be wrong for NOAA to change their names.

NOAA has made a web page available for the public to see the proposed changes to its web pages that would result from its reorganization. You can comment on the proposed changes until June 13.

Jeff Masters

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

Just plain outrageous that all this money be wasted
on PR...just outrageous