Weatherman gets his satellites crossed
July 11, 2007
On Monday, the new director of the National Hurricane Center was placed on leave not because of some financial problems or even ethical problems. It didn’t even have to do with the fact that he had issued bogus forecasts.
All he did was be vocal in saying that the country needs to replace the aging QuikScat satellite used by hurricane forecasters to predict the storms.
Personally, I don’t think Proenza was doing a bad thing. He was just being honest with the American people, and he was doing this to help push Congress to fund a new satellite. If I were the head honcho at the hurricane center, I would do the same thing. The government doesn’t want to do anything unless someone is willing to push the issue.
That, however, didn’t sit well with the center’s staff. Because of that, more than 20 of Proenza’s nearly 50 staff members signed a statement last week urging federal officials to dismiss him. They said Proenza had undermined the public’s confidence in the center by exaggerating the forecasting problems scientists would face if the satellite failed, according to an Associated Press story.
Somehow, I don’t really think everyday people trust any weather forecast any more or less because of Proenza’s statement. I really don’t know that many people have a lot of confidence in any weatherman, much less the National Hurricane Center.
The real root of the problem is the majority of the meteorologists at the center felt some kind of affection for the satellite and didn’t appreciate the comments by Proenza. That satellite has become a special friend to them, and they don’t want to see an old friend become obsolete.
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I can just imagine some of the fights and arguments that the meteorologists have had on this issue. I bet the arguments stooped so low as to get into the realm of “yo satellite” jokes.
I bet he said something like, “Yo satellite’s so old it needs trifocals.”
His staff responded by saying something like, “If you don’t shut up, I’m gonna find the worst storm on radar and send it to your house.”
Coming back for round two, Proenza said, “Yo satellite’s so old it saw the Galveston hurricane of 1900.”
A staffer probably said, “I’m gonna QuikScat you if you don’t stop making fun of my satellite.”
The one that probably made the staff mad was, “Yo satellite’s so old Viagra won’t even help it.”
That was probably what made them sign the petition. While the leave isn’t permanent yet, it’s probable that he won’t be back at the head of the National Hurricane Center, all because he didn’t give any respect to the QuikScat satellite. I guess Proenza didn’t get that forecast right.
Note: Brent Maze is the managing editor for The Clanton Advertiser. His column appears each Wednesday.
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