Declarations

The Highest Need

“The highest priority need identified by NOAA/NWS customers and constituents is for improved high-resolution storm surge forecasting and communication.”

—From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s report last month on the National Weather Service’s performance during Superstorm Sandy. The report says the biggest problem was warning of the massive storm surge. Seventy-nine percent of coastal residents surveyed said Sandy’s surge was higher than they expected.

Pain Pills Like Candy

“The NHL drafted Derek Boogaard because it wanted his massive body to fight in order to enhance ratings, earnings and exposure. … Then, once he became addicted to these narcotics, the NHL promised his family that it would take care of him. It failed.”

—William Gibbs, one of the attorneys who filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the National Hockey League on behalf of former league player Derek Boogaard, who was found dead on May 13, 2011, at age 28. Boogard was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain ailment that can be caused by repeated blows to the head. Gibbs said team doctors dispensed “pain pills like candy” to Boogaard, after he suffered repeated injuries.

22 in All

“In all, this system produced 22 tornadoes on May 20, largely in Oklahoma, although tornadoes were also reported in Missouri, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, and Colorado.”

—Dr. Tim Doggett, senior principal scientist, AIR Worldwide, comments on the storm system that created an EF5 tornado that nearly wiped out the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on May 20, killing at least 24 people. The National Weather Service said peak winds in the Newcastle/Moore, Okla., were in the 200 mph to 210 mph range. The maximum width of the 17-mile path of the twister was 1.3 miles, the NWS said.

No One-Storm Wonder

“We don’t want to be a one-storm wonder and have a crisis the next day.”

—Jack Nicholson, executive director of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, says the fund is in the best financial shape it has been in years – maybe the best since it was created in 1993. Analysts say in addition to its reserves, the fund should be able to borrow enough money to cover obligations for this year’s hurricane season.

Sneaky and Sneakier

“They’ll just be more sneaky with it.”

—Melissa Torres, a sophomore at West High School, said she doesn’t think a Utah law that bars 16- and 17-year-olds from talking on the phone while driving would change the habits of teens who fiddle with their phones as they drive.