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Guantanamo Bay Proved Dilligent Against Hurricane Dean

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS070826-02
Release Date: 8/26/2007 8:46:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Lamb, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Public Affairs

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (NNS) -- Naval Station (NAVSTA) Guantanamo Bay (GTMO), along with its tenant commands braced for Hurricane Dean Aug. 19.

Forecasters predicted early on that Hurricane Dean would grow to Category 5 strength, possibly by the time it passed over Guantanamo Bay. At the time of the prediction, the hurricane was flooding the islands of St. Lucia and Martinique and was heading in the vicinity of southern Cuba and northern Jamaica.

The National Hurricane Center and Naval Maritime Forecast Activity in Norfolk, Va., said the winds could exceed 155 mph as it passed by the southern tip of Cuba.

On Aug. 18, Hurricane Dean was centered about 615 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, moving west at 17 miles per hour. With the hurricane expecting to affect Guantanamo by mid-afternoon of Aug. 19, NAVSTA Guantanamo Commanding Officer, Capt. Mark Leary, decided to order Condition 2 in order to give residents a chance to prepare for the worst case scenario.

According to Aerographer's Mate 2nd Class Frank Lennon, petty officer in charge of Naval Aviation Forecast Component Guantanamo Bay, on Aug. 18, Hurricane Dean started to take a more westerly path making the approach further away than originally forecasted.

"The mountains in Espanola tore apart the feeder bands as they came across the island's mountain ranges and we didn't see thunderstorms and rain showers from Dean until after the eye was under Jamaica allowing the feeder bands to have a more clean shot through the Jamaican Straight to our south. We received .07 inches all weekend long from Dean," said Lennon.

Approximately every four hours, Lennon would brief Leary about Dean's progress. Twice between those reports Leary, Command Master Chief (SW/AW) Keith Carlson and NAVSTA Public Works Officer Cmdr. Jeff Johnston got on the air to report new updates.

During the weekend, weather changes were presented to the residents of GTMO via the local radio station, 103.1 "The Blitz" and aired on the base television station. Electrical power to the base remained active throughout the entire weekend.

"Like most base-wide evolutions, the key to hurricane preparation and response, is being prepared," said Johnston. "As usual, the GTMO community pulled together and got the base in great shape for this storm."

Deaths were reported throughout the Caribbean as Dean moved forward later that afternoon.

"All of the Navy Region Southeast commands received six hour weather updates and the Emergency Operations Center conducted daily video teleconferences with the National Hurricane Center and Naval Maritime Forecast Activity in Norfolk to ensure the most up-to-date information was available," said Ken Koellermeier, GTMO emergency management specialist. "GTMO went through the Condition of Readiness as appropriate and as required to ensure the safety of personnel."

By midnight Aug. 19, Guantanamo was ordered to Condition 1. By dawn flooding had been reported along the Jamaican southern coast. With nine lives lost and the approaching storm surge, Leary resumed Condition 5 hurricane status at 5 p.m. EDT.

"GTMO was extremely fortunate that as Dean passed Haiti and the mountains caused the rain bands to dump [the] four to six inches of rain forecasted for GTMO. The last minute storm track shift to the south spared GTMO from 34 knot destructive winds that were anticipated," said Koellermeier.

Hurricane Dean was the first hurricane of the Atlantic, but probably won't be the last.