By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
THE Department of Meteorology yesterday released computer server verification logs indicating that its Doppler weather radar was operational throughout the period that Hurricane Joaquin formed and subsequently ravaged the southern Bahamas.
The logs are evidence that the server had been running continuously for 93 days, 20 hours and 51 minutes at the time of its download on October 21, according to Department of Meteorology Director Trevor Basden.
The disclosure directly contradicts last week’s controversial claims by forecaster Wayne Neely, who has insisted that the department’s Doppler radar was not functioning for several hours during the passage of Hurricane Joaquin. The government repeatedly refuted the claims; however, Mr Neely maintained that as the category-four storm battered several Family Islands, the department was without the important weather instrument, adding that he would have never pinpointed issues with the radar if they did not exist.
In his statement, Mr Basden said: “The public is advised that the verification logs are used to substantiate the operability of the radar, as the log files are only produced when the radar has been radiating; while the radar is radiating it is able to produce echoes within its effective range of 150 miles when there is precipitation to record.
“These logs are produced daily at 8pm. Having regard to the ongoing speculation surrounding this issue, the department’s electronics manager and information technology technician determined it necessary to download these logs, a study of which affirmed the advice which was repeated by the minister, the director, and the senior deputy director of the Department of Meteorology that the radar was completely operational while Joaquin was in the Bahamas.”
The statement continued: “The logs show an unbroken sequential set of entries from July 21 to October 21, 2015 (the date of the download) that the server had been running for 93 days, 20 hours and 51 minutes, when the log file was captured and printed. This data emanates from the radar’s own factory supplied operating system, the time stamp on which is proof positive that the radar had been operational and radiating without interruption from July 21, 2015.”
A series of articles about the claims were published in The Nassau Guardian last Monday.
At a press conference that same day, Transport and Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna Martin and senior officials from the Department of Meteorology denied the reports. However the next day, Mr Neely remained adamant that the radar was down during parts of the storm.
Mrs Hanna-Martin explained that the issue experienced with the radar was simply a matter of rebooting the monitor that projects the images from the radar. She added that the radar is not housed at the same facility where forecasters are stationed.
In the House of Assembly on Wednesday, Mrs Hanna-Martin advised that there was a break in radar transmission in July due to a software installation. Yesterday, Mr Basden also released verification logs indicating the six-day break period from July 15 to July 20.
The radar provides details on rainfall intensity, thunderstorms, and tornadic activity, including waterspouts effectively within a 150-mile range, Mrs Hanna Martin has said. Therefore, she said, the radar is best used by officials as a supplemental tool to satellite imagery, the lightning detection network and computer modelling from a variety of official international sources.
American expert Bob Dreisewerd told The Tribune last week that for the tool to be effective, the country needed at least two more radars.
Mr Dreisewerd, a meteorologist for 25 years and the chief development officer for Baron, a weather intelligence firm, said it was wise, though not necessary, for institutions to continually upgrade their radar technology.
The Bahamas’ current radar located at the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) was first attained in 2005.
Hurricane Joaquin formed as a tropical depression at 11pm on September 27. It lashed the southern and central Bahamas on October 1 and 2 as a category-four hurricane, and the country was given an all clear that it no longer posed a threat on October 3.
Mr Basden’s statement added: “Throughout this process, and as has been previously detailed, the Department of Meteorology issued the required alerts, watches and warnings necessary for keeping persons informed on the threat of Joaquin. The department takes this opportunity to reaffirm its full commitment to diligently observing and forecasting weather patterns in the interest of the Bahamian people.”
Comments
birdiestrachan 8 years, 6 months ago
What is the lady who was so proud and happy to say :"The radar was not working" what is she saying now?
Baha10 8 years, 6 months ago
Unless an "independent" investigation is conducted, 3 weeks is also more than ample time to "cook the books"! Interestingly enough, also enough time to actual "swim" to Crooked Island with ones own supplies strapped to your back, bearing in mind the same are still to arrive. Maybe the Mailboats lost their radar too and can no longer "find" Crooked Island?
TheMadHatter 8 years, 6 months ago
So that TV station in florida who reported that the radar was down - they could not get any info from our radar - they were paid off to say that by who?
TheMadHatter
banker 8 years, 6 months ago
The server could well have been running for 93 days. To anyone who knows IT, that is a laughable figure that means nothing. The server is just the server. It could be up and running and not have a functioning radar attached to it. Just because the server was running doesn't mean that the radar was operative.
Server have what is known as daemons to gather input on a real time basis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_...">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_...) The print server is an example of a daemon. The daemon that connects to the radar could be alive and well, but not receiving data from a malfunctioning radar piece of hardware, in the same way that you can send a print on your computer to the print queue, and it doesn't give you an error message, but the printer connected to the print daemon has zombied out and your print doesn't come out.
This 93 days of server logs is bull. It means nothing to those who know the slightest bit about computers. Nice try ya bunch of liars. The real title of this piece should say Met Office Logs shows radar server was working. Whether the radar was or not is indeterminate from the logs.
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 6 months ago
I think radar working not working is a non issue... In any event , if the logs are written to everyday at 8PM, the server could go down at 8:30PM on Monday, remain offline all Tuesday until fixed at 7:59PM and still log that everything was ok....everyone seems to be picking partial details that support their side of the story.
The real question is why is the entire Bahamas not covered?
Publius 8 years, 6 months ago
This story is very lazy reporting by the Tribune. So the Tribune wants us to draw the conclusion that because a server might be running, that automatically means the radar was functioning at all times?
This entire radar matter has fallen prey to lazy reporting, even by those who broke the story, because none of the media houses actually delved into the salient issues with respect to weather reporting for The Bahamas, the capabilities, the process, etc. The matter became political and then salacious fodder and as usual, the actual critical issues at hand never got touched or properly analyzed.
B_I_D___ 8 years, 6 months ago
Let's say the radar WAS operational...it is irrelevant...the radar coverage was not enough to pick up on the hurricane anyways...this is all smoke and mirrors to distract the masses from an abject failure of the government...Met Office...NEMA, etc to use ALL the tools at their disposal, even pulling information from sources outside the Bahamas to come up with an educated response and action plan. Guess that D or E average is really ringing true.
John 8 years, 6 months ago
Weather he flipping radar was working or not the government and the meteorological department FAILED the People of the Bahamas and the people in the Southern Bahamas in particular!!! If you are the pilot of a jetliner and you lose your instruments, you should be qualified to do a visual tower assisted landing. If you are a true weather man and you lose your equipment when a life threatening storm is pending, you don't just sit on your hip and do nothing. What or where is your back up plan? You contact nearby stations and moniter other instruments. But you get the warnings and information out to the people. So what did you do, abandon them and leave them to get washed out to sea and drown or get whip lashed by 140 miles an hour winds because you want to get a message to the government that your Doppler needs to be replaced?
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