New NHC director starts new job

SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- The winds of change has brought the National Hurricane Center a new leader.

Richard Knabb, also known as Rick, is the new director of the National Hurricane Center.

Knabb is no stranger to South Florida. He said he grew up in Broward County. Knabb said it was in 1979 when Hurricane David hit South Florida that a sense of fear was instilled in him, and that is what led him to pursue a career in meteorology.

Before accepting the position as director of the National Hurricane Center, Knabb was once the senior hurricane specialist from 2005 until 2008.

Knabb said, when Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida he was a graduate student at Florida State University and he had warned his family about the hurricane.

Knabb spoke with 7News about how his job as director has changed in the past 20 years. "Those track forecasts have gotten substantially better, but they are not perfect," he said. "The track forecasts problems are not solved, so we still have to account for the uncertainty in the track forecast. The intensity forecast really has not gotten any better, and there still is the risk of some hurricane intensifying, perhaps even rapidly before landfall."

Now he is taking his new job just as the 2012 hurricane season begins. Some hurricane tips Knabb shared include several important questions you should ask yourself ahead of storm season:

-Do you have proper insurance?

-Do you have adequate supplies?

-Do you live in an evacuation zone?

The season began June 1 and continues through November.

Knabb said he will continue to work with the forecasters and others at the Hurricane National Center to get people more accurate information sooner than ever.

(Copyright 2012 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)