Wednesday, February 16, 2000

WILMINGTON, NC -- Jerry Jarrell, retired director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla., will deliver the luncheon keynote address at the conference "Hurricane Preparedness 2000: Lessons Learned" hosted by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.



The conference, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 23, in the UNCW Warwick Center Ballroom, will feature discussions tracking, disaster services, predictions, preparation and planning for future hurricanes and strategies to minimize loss.

Jarrell, who will talk on "Hurricanes: The Issue for 2000 and Beyond," was director of the National Hurricane Center from 1998 until his retirement last month. He also served as the center's deputy director for nine years. He received his bachelor's degree in education from Concord College in West Virginia and earned master's degrees in meteorology and management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. Jarrell began his career as a naval officer and served in various meteorology and oceanography command positions for more than 20 years, including combat tours in Vietnam.

UNCW Chancellor James R. Leutze will deliver welcoming remarks and introduce Congressman Mike McIntyre, representing North Carolina's 7th District, who will serve as the opening speaker.

Panelists invited for the 10:30 a.m. morning session on forecasting, meteorology and public awareness include George Elliott, chief meteorologist for WECT-TV6; Tom Matheson from the National Weather Service; Mark Sudduth '95, a UNCW alumnus who specializes in mapping hurricanes; and Mark Boyer, public information officer for New Hanover County. Dr. Steve Meinhold, assistant professor in UNCW's Department of Political Science, will moderate.

The afternoon session includes two panels directed at state and local hurricane preparedness scheduled for 1 and 2:15 p.m., respectively. State panelists expected are David McCoy, secretary of the N.C. Department of Transportation; David Kelly, secretary of the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety; and Billy Ray Hall, director of the N.C. Rural and Economic Development Center and director of the Governor's Hurricane Floyd Redevelopment Center. Chancellor Leutze will moderate.

Local panelists invited are Dan Summers, director of the New Hanover County Emergency Management Office; Doug Bowers, division engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation; and Bill Caster, chair of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners. Allen O'Neal, New Hanover County manager, will moderate.

There is no registration fee to attend the conference which includes lunch, but reservations are required due to limited seating. To reserve a space, call 910/962-7183 or toll free at 1-877-295-4255 by Monday, Feb. 21. Please leave name and phone number. Parking will be available in Lot K which is adjacent to Trask Coliseum.