FEMA's William Carwile and Florida's Craig Fugate to Share Top Honors 

Release Date: March 28, 2005
Release Number: FNF-05-04

Two officials working on the response and recovery efforts of the 2004 hurricane season were recognized with the prestigious 2005 Neil Frank Award. The Federal Coordinating Officer from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), William Carwile, and the State Coordinating Officer from Florida’s State Emergency Response Team, Craig Fugate, were presented with the award at the 27th Annual National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans, LA, and represents the first time the award was shared by two recipients.

“I want to accept this award on behalf of all FEMA employees and their incredible dedication to the recovery of Florida. They worked hand in hand in a strong alliance with our state partners in the aftermath of the four hurricanes that hit Florida last year” said Carwile.

"I am truly honored to receive this award on behalf of the men and women of the State Emergency Response Team," said Director Craig Fugate, of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

The Neil Frank award is presented to an individual for making a major impact in the areas of hurricanes preparedness, response, recovery, mitigation or related fields through truly exceptional and original improvements. The impact of those improvements must be national or international in scope.

Dr. Neil Frank was Director of the National Hurricane Center in Florida for 13 years. While there, he was the key figure in directing severe tropical weather information to meteorologists and media across the country. Dr. Frank's career began in the US Air Force where he trained as a weather officer. In 1961, Dr. Frank joined the staff of the National Hurricane Center as a forecaster and was named Director in 1974. During his tenure, Dr. Frank had several international meteorological assignments, including serving as Chairman of the International Hurricane Committee that coordinated the hurricane warning procedures for Central and North American countries.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 29-Mar-2005 09:02:26