Two employees of the National Weather Service in Peachtree City have been honored with a national award for their “outstanding support” for NWS facilities affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

Regional Maintenance Specialist Barry Brodnax and facility engineer technician Dan Collins received the Isaac M. Cline award, presented by Steven Cooper, acting director of the NWS Southern Region.

The two joined with their counterparts in the Slidell, La. forecast office during the aftermath of the storms “to form a dedicated, experienced and efficient team,” Cooper said.

"We're extremely proud of Dan and Barry for their accomplishment, although we were not the least bit surprised,” said Lans Rothfusz, meteorologist in charge of the NWS office in Peachtree City. “We have witnessed their dedication and self-sacrifice to the mission of the National Weather Service countless times. Their work is often behind the scenes in support of our warning and forecast operations, but it is critical to the services people have come to expect from the NWS. Dan and Barry are the best of the best, not only in their craft, but also in their humanity."

Despite power outages and communication difficulties, the four team members handled numerous equipment restoration projects following the storms. Key projects for the offices in Slidell and Lake Charles, La., and facilities in Mobile, Ala., included restoration of radar systems, Automated Surface Observing Systems and NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards transmitters.

The team repaired and replaced generators to provide the facilities with emergency backup power. Working closely with electric and telephone companies and other vendors, they helped re-establish permanent power, communications and other critical services to the afflicted offices. With limited resources, they installed camera systems, made roofing repairs and hooked up washers, dryers and showers.

They set up a trailer park for employees in need of living accommodations. A fuel distribution service was also established to keep government vehicles rolling. When many commercial outlets closed in the wake of Katrina and Rita, the team developed excellent relationships with area vendors so they would continue to service the needs of the offices.

For most National Weather Service employees, the record-breaking 2005 hurricane season officially ended on November 30, 2005. For those directly affected by the storms -- the clean up, repair, restoration and recovery continued well into the 2006 hurricane season.

“Our primary mission is to save lives and property, and the Cline Award recognizes the high level of proficiency in which National Weather Service employees carry out their tremendous responsibilities,” said Mary M. Glackin, acting director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “Using their combined technical expertise and creativity, these employees pulled off an outstanding recovery effort.”

login to post comments