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Military aircraft are incredibly versatile, but they
can’t work in isolation. In Puerto Rico, they have been
flying missions in all conditions, at all times of day and
night, to accomplish their lifesaving humanitarian
objectives. Marines serving with the Marine Air Control
Squadron 2 keep those aircraft aloft with two expeditionary
X band radar systems normally used for operations in combat
zones.
“This is a unique experience for us to use
these radars in a humanitarian aid environment,” said Marine
Warrant Officer Adam Harmon, the air control detachment
officer in charge in Puerto Rico.
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November 17, 2017 - Marines serving with the Marine Air Control
Squadron 2 pose in front of their X band radar system in Aguadilla,
Puerto Rico. They set up the system in order to bring radar services
back to the island following Hurricane Maria. The hurricane
destroyed all National Weather Service weather radar systems in
Puerto Rico, and may take up to six months to repair. In the
interim, the MACS 2 Marines will continue to fill the data gap with
their two radar sites. From left to right are: Sgt. Hillary Hanner,
Cpl. Jamie Maynard, Sgt. Robert Ratcliff, Chief Warrant Officer Adam
Harmon, Pfc. Jacob Reilly, Staff Sgt. Rachael Parkison (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Evan Lane)
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Normally the National Weather Service provides all radar imagery
for the island of Puerto Rico through powerful permanent radar
installations. Hurricane Maria destroyed those installations and
threw the island into radar darkness. Repairs are expected to take
several months at least.
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November 17, 2017 - An X band expeditionary radar system, center,
stands on the airfield in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Marines serving
with the Marine Air Control Squadron 2 set up the system in order to
bring radar services back to the island following Hurricane Maria.
The hurricane destroyed all National Weather Service weather radar
systems in Puerto Rico, and may take up to six months to repair. In
the interim, the MACS 2 Marines will continue to fill the data gap
with their two radar sites. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Evan Lane)
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“The danger of operation without radar,” said Harmon, “is if a
convective storm produces over the island, we won’t have an image of
it via satellite for an additional thirty minutes to an hour.”
That sort of delay poses significant dangers to both air and
ground assets. Many retaining walls and roadways across the island
have been compromised by winds, rains and mudslides. Those damaged
areas continue to wash out during rain storms, but the expeditionary
radar systems alert teams to those dangers and allow them to prepare
for the deluge.
Because of their portable nature, the radar
stations have less reach than the permanent stations they are
replacing. That means positioning of the two sites was critical,
with one eastern and one western location.
“The biggest thing
is doing a site survey first,” said Marine Staff Sgt. Rachael
Parkison, Marine Tactical Operations Center chief for the Aguadilla
radar station. “We’re shooting at a very shallow angle, so any kind
of obstructions – buildings, trees, even trucks – will cause
backscatter.”
Once the site survey was completed by Harmon,
six Marines at each site were able to erect the radar equipment in
mere hours and provide coverage for the Puerto Rico.
“Our
equipment had already been op checked at the airfield,” said
Parkison, “so once we arrived on site, we orientated the whole
system to north and started putting that bad boy up.”
The radar images that Parkison and her fellow Marines put
together are used by the National Weather Service to get an idea of
the weather on the island. Each site is aimed at an angle to cover
low altitude effects near itself, and high altitude weather on the
other side of the island. By overlapping the two sites’ scans, a
complete atmospheric picture is created.
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November 17, 2017 - Marine Staff Sgt. Rachael Parkison, Marine
Tactical Operations Center chief for the Aguadilla radar station,
surveys weather radar data streaming from her team’s X band
expeditionary radar system in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Marines
serving with the Marine Air Control Squadron 2 set up the system in
order to bring radar services back to the island following Hurricane
Maria. The hurricane destroyed all National Weather Service weather
radar systems in Puerto Rico, and may take up to six months to
repair. In the interim, the MACS 2 Marines will continue to fill the
data gap with their two radar sites. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Evan Lane)
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“It’s a joint effort here to get aid to the people who
need it,” she said. “The weather picture we’re able to
distribute to the NWS is helping pilots land safely. There’s
also the Guajataca Dam, which is in unstable conditions
right now. They’re using our pictures to help forecast for
any additional impact the weather could have on the site.”
Parkison has found other ways to help the American
people of Puerto Rico as well. In addition to her duties as
a forecaster and station chief, she goes out on food and
water distribution missions as often as possible.
“The biggest thing I’ve witnessed when we’re able to do food
and water runs is the selflessness of the people,” she said.
“I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had families say,
‘No. Take my food, take my water up the hill. There’s
somebody sick, somebody elderly.’ These people, even though
they’ve been devastated, are so willing to give up what they
have to somebody else.”
“That selflessness is absolutely contagious,” Parkison
said, smiling. “The next time you see [something], you want to do a
little bit more, you want to give up your off time to go out on
another run and help.”
The extra effort hasn’t gone unnoticed
by her command and the NWS.
“I can’t be happier with the
efforts that Staff Sgt. Parkison and the other Marines have put in
to keep the radar up and running in all the conditions we’ve faced
out here,” said Harmon. He continued on to mention the significant
appreciation the NWS has for the products his Marines have been able
to provide them of the weather on and around the island of Puerto
Rico.
Their knowledge of the weather doesn’t necessarily
insulate them from it, however, and a protracted effort is required
to keep the radar systems functioning without interruption.
“Last night, we had a couple thunderstorms in the area,” said
Harmon. “And although we saw them on the radar image, they still
knocked down the forecasting tent. We had the Marines up here last
night putting the tent back up and making sure the equipment stayed
operational.”
The Marines weathered that storm and will
continue to do so in order to provide information critical to the
humanitarian response in Puerto Rico
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Evan Lane
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
The U.S. Marines
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