Neil Frank, former head of the National Hurricane Center, is credited with increasing the nation’s hurricane preparedness Major stormsHe died on Wednesday. He was 94 years old.
Frank headed the Hurricane Center from 1974 to 1987, and was the longest-serving director in its history.
“He received tremendous credit for being the first to go out of his way and communicate and establish communication between the National Hurricane Center and emergency managers,” said meteorologist Max Mayfield, who served as director of the National Hurricane Center from 2000 to 2007.
“He taught me that it’s not just about expectations,” Mayfield said. “The perfect outlook is not good if people don’t take immediate action.”
Ron Frank, Frank’s son, said in a… Share Facebook That his father died at home a few days after entering a nursing home.
KHOU-TV In Houston, where Frank spent two decades as chief meteorologist after leaving the hurricane center, his death was first reported. The station referred an AP call for comment to CBS, whose spokeswoman declined to comment but directed the AP to Ron Frank’s post.
When Frank began his work at the National Hurricane Center, advances in weather satellites were helping forecasters better predict the location and direction of a storm. Frank worked to make this information accessible to residents in hurricane-prone areas, Mayfield said. He also appeared regularly on television to provide updates on storms and tips on staying safe.
“He was very passionate and you could feel his enthusiasm but also a sense of warning — because he wanted people to take action,” Mayfield said. “He was very animated, and he talked a lot with his hands. If you played him in fast-forward, he would look like a juggler sometimes.”
Frank was skeptical that human actions, such as burning oil, gas, and coal, Cause climate changeMayfield said in a video posted on YouTube titled “Is Climate Change Real?” Instead, he attributed the rising temperatures to the planet’s natural, cyclical weather patterns. Scientists today overwhelmingly agree that burning fossil fuels is the main driver of global warming emissions that cause more frequent, costly and deadly emissions. Severe weather All over the world.
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