Duke Officials Chasing Inclement Weather

After days of relentless ice pounded the region this winter, Duke’s emergency management team is preparing to get a head start on this spring’s potential storms. Through a partnership between Duke officials and a local ham radio club, Duke has formed a storm-chasing team that will travel across North Carolina in pursuit of any severe weather to communicate to-the-millisecond information to the community as a storm threat emerges. “We can’t let the lull between winter weather and hurricane season catch us off guard,” said Larry Moneta, vice president for Student Affairs, after driving around in a fortified Duke blue Hummer to explore rural Durham County roads on a recent rainy afternoon. The storm chasers group, known as B.D.M.E.C., or “Blue Devils Monitoring Extreme Conditions,” will seek out hurricanes, tornadic activity and severe thunderstorms that have the capability of generating hail and lightning. In the event of severe weather, the group will have an emergency call every hour with members of the Duke community. The end goal of B.D.M.E.C. is to eventually predict storms weeks before they happen. The storm chasers will use GoPro cameras, Doppler radar equipment and their intuition. “I’m relieved we’re monitoring the storms up close,” Moneta said. “Our storm-chasing team is working around the clock to find severe weather to keep students, faculty, staff and visitors safe.”--April Fool’s! Even if there’s no storm-chasing team, Duke’s emergency management officials still want you to know what to do in case of severe weather. Visit the university’s emergency information website to find safety tips, to include what to do in the event of a tornado, hurricane or winter weather.