On Friday, May 12th, the 2017 Hurricane Awareness Tour wrapped up its week-long swing along the East Coast at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Miami. The Opa Locka airport facility hosted NOAA42 “Kermit” as well as two U.S. Air Force Reserve’s C-130s, from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters.” Tours of the aircraft were given by the aircrews. In addition, a number of local organizations, including the National Weather Service, the Red Cross, Florida International University’s Wall of Wind, Miami-Dade County Emergency Management, and AOML, sponsored exhibits in the nearby hangar to promote hurricane preparedness.
At our tables, we offered a variety of posters, flyers, and other handouts, explaining our efforts in both hurricane research and physical oceanography. As visual aids, we had models of the NOAA P3 and G-IV aircraft, an Ocean Drifter, and the Sea Glider. On hand to explain all of these items to a myriad of school children and members of the press and public, were Heather Holbach, Kathryn Sellwood, Marlos Goes, Stan Goldenberg, Erica Rule, Sierra Sarkis, Jun Zhang, and Neal Dorst.
