National hurricane guru addresses emergency conference in Hampton

HAMPTON

While hurricane forecasts and models are getting better, that doesn’t mean emergency officials shouldn’t keep working on preparedness plans for the area’s next big storm.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Max Mayfield, former director of the National Hurricane Center, told a group of emergency workers today. “We’ve got to be prepared.”

While Hampton Roads was quiet last year, the 2007 hurricane season saw 15 named storms, six of which grew into hurricanes with two developing into major storms, said Mayfield, who was the keynote speaker at this week's Virginia Emergency Management Conference at the Hampton Roads Convention Center.

Part of better planning means better communication during the crisis of a major storm, Mayfield said.

Mayfield and CBS News hurricane analyst Bryan Norcross have teamed up with a Jackson, Miss. Company to develop a Web site, they call "America's Emergency Network" at www.emergency.info. The goal, according to Mayfield, is to help government officials and emergency managers to get messages out to the public during disasters.

While Mayfield said he believes that government forecasting agencies work well in partnership with emergency officials and the media, one central place for distribution hasn’t existed until now.

“We want you to get your message out unfiltered by the media,” Mayfield said.

Cindy Clayton, (757) 222-5201, cindy.clayton@pilotonline.com