A Hurricane Hunter In the Family
© kay king

The disaster and long recovery caused by Hurricane Katrina are very personal for me.

My son is a Hurricane Hunter, which is why I moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1993.
Flying out of Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MA, the Hurricane Hunters don't have what most
would call a normal day job.

     For inside information about the 53rd Weather Recon Squadron....the Hurricane Hunters...click here.

All of the Hunters are members of the 53rd Weather Recon Squadron in the Air Force Reserves.
Most of them are part-time, with heavier schedules during Hurricane Season while some, like my
son, are full-time.

It's a demanding -- and interesting -- job.  In C-130 planes (several are the new J models), the
crew flies a pattern through the hurricane.  The "drop" (my son's job) releases instrument packages
into the storm at intervals and records the computer information displayed.  The information is relayed
to the National Weather Center.

   How... and... why people fly into hurricanes

Travel is a big part of the job.  During hurricane season in the Atlanta, the Hurricane Hunters
keep some crews and planes on St Croix and often fly both hurricanes and winter storm systems
from various Air Force bases across the country.

For me, there are pros and cons to having a Hurricane Hunter in the family.  If my area is
likely to be threatened (I live very close to the Coast)....I get a call.  But then again, when a
hurricane does come here -- my son is out of town!

The disaster that was Katrina didn't play favorites.  Many of the Hurricane Hunters who had
been flying in and out of Katrina for days realized that their own homes could be lost -- and
several were.

Their home base, Keesler, suffered heavy damage so, for now, the Hurricane Hunters are
flying out of Dobbins AFB in Atlanta.

When a hurricane approaches, the dark swirling clouds are fascinating to watch from the ground.
From the air....above the storm or inside the storm....the view is spectacular.

For more facts about the Hurricane Hunters, go to www.hurricanehunters.com/askus.htm

The author, Kay King, lives on the Coast of Mississippi, the area hardest hit by Hurricane
Katrina.  For more information about the disaster and the steps being taken toward recovery,
please visit   http://www.1disaster-recovery.com   .