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Glenn hurricane schwartz wiki12/28/2023 In 2012, I was similarly disgusted as Hurricane Sandy approached New Jersey and New York City. The decisions made in advance of Ian represent a giant step backward in hurricane preparedness. They don ’t understand the science of storm surges, or the impact of a direct, perpendicular hit compared to a hurricane that grazes the coast. But how dare politicians make their own evaluations of a hurricane’s threat. Ian looked like it was headed to Tampa, so they decided to wait and see. But is it better to be right (if late) than premature and looking bad? Not when lives are at stake! I believe local officials feared looking bad if they called for an evacuation and the storm didn’t make a direct hit. So why did Lee County ignore its own rules? Lee County obviously had a detailed plan in place, which included evacuating the most vulnerable areas if there was even a 10% chance of a 6-foot storm surge. Surely, there were good, professional plans in place before Ian. Has the center “spoiled” people and public officials with its consistent accuracy? And just to make clear, the NHC’s forecast accuracy beats every computer model in the world. (Ian was confidently predicted to rapidly intensify into a Cat 4). It’s also gotten much better at predicting the intensity of storms. In 1992, the hurricane center’s average forecast track error was nearly 200 miles. Glenn Schwartz, pictured here while reporting on Hurricane Elena in 1985, was The Weather Channel’s first storm chaser. But we have to accept the fact that there will sometimes be false alarms. Today, because the hurricane center’s forecasts have improved so much, that’s probably down to two times. So why was Southwest Florida more prepared in 1992 than 2022? Did emergency managers and politicians learn nothing from Category 4 Charlie in 2004? Clearly not.Īt the weather service, we emphasized that because of hurricane vulnerability, population and evacuation limitations, three evacuations would be needed for every one time they would prove necessary. Partnerships with grocery chains and storm shutter companies helped spread the word to hundreds of thousands. We got tremendous response -TV specials every year, pamphlets showing evacuation zones, even construction specialists giving tips on how to reinforce your home. I worked closely with the emergency managers of Lee, Charlotte and Collier Counties, the counties devastated by Ian. We had the opportunity to speak to thousands of Southwest Florida residents about the hurricane threat they faced and how to prepare. Meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz during his days chasing storms with WPBF-TV in West Palm Beach.įor a couple of years, I also worked at WINK-TV in Fort Myers with the late, great Jim Reif, so I know the area well. My nickname - Hurricane Schwartz - comes from my days as The Weather Channel’s first storm chaser. I ’m disgusted by the incompetent “leadership” in the Fort Myers area before, during and after Hurricane Ian.Īs background, I am a veteran hurricane specialist who worked for the National Hurricane Center (NHC.) At the National Weather Service, I educated emergency managers and the public about hurricanes. I am disgusted, probably the most disgusted I ’ve been in 50 years as a meteorologist.
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