NOAA BUOY TO SUPPORT HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS IN HAITI

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) is providing a 3-meter meteorological buoy to support Combined Joint Task Force operations for “Operation Secure Tomorrow” in Haiti. The buoy will provide weather information, plus wave height and direction to ensure vessel traffic moves safely through the northern ports of the Caribbean nation.

Designed and built at the Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Miss., the buoy is scheduled to depart the center by truck today for delivery to a Southeast Atlantic port where it will be transferred to a U.S. Coast Guard vessel. Deployment will be made approximately eight miles off the north coast of Haiti. A Coast Guard and NDBC technician will accompany the buoy on this deployment.

"This will be the first offshore meteorological buoy deployed in this part of the Caribbean. Getting a buoy ready, shipped and deployed in less than two weeks is a significant challenge, but once in place it will provide vital assistance for the humanitarian efforts in Haiti,” said Paul Moersdorf, director of the National Data Buoy Center.

The NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. The NWS operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov

National Data Buoy Center: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov