The Goddard Space Flight Center Sustains Hurricane Isabel

Downed tree by front of building 1

On September 18, 2003, the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and the eastern shore area were hit with high winds and rain from Hurricane Isabel. As Isabel wrecked havoc to most of the surrounding area with floods, power outages, and downed trees and limbs, the Goddard Space Flight Center weathered the affects fairly well. The Center returned to business as usual late Friday, September 19, 2003.

At Greenbelt, prior to the storm, several steps were taken to prepare for the hurricane by meeting daily with the Emergency Management Task Group to discuss possible effects of the hurricane to Facilities and Operations and by meeting

	Downed trees damages fence.

with all facility operations Managers to advise them of precautions that should be taken. All building grounds were surveyed and hazards that could become airborne were removed. Recommendations were also made for protecting equipment in areas prone to leaks. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated and staffed by the Management Operations Directorate who remained onsite during the storm. Approximately 140 Center employees remained on Center through out the storm. EOC coordinated all efforts during the storm and recovery.

Fortunately, the Center suffered only minor damages from the storm. Specifically, metal fascia needs to be replaced or repaired in Buildings 5, 10, 11, 17 and 28. Glass needs to be replaced or resealed in Buildings 4, 14, 16B, 21 and 28.

Photos courtesy of Waltor Watson/227
Tree down near building 2 parking lot

Downed trees on both the east and west campus damaged fencing. At this time, the cost for repairs is estimated to be approximately $33,000.

At Wallops, the Wallops Executive Management Team, chaired by the Director of Suborbital and Special Orbital Projects began daily meetings on Monday the 15th to prepare for Hurricane Isabel. The joint NASA, Navy, NOAA and Coast Guard team was guided by the recently updated plan for Hurricane Preparation and Recovery. Preparations, included removal of high-value equipment from the island, inside storage or securing of material and equipment susceptible to high winds, and assignments for ride-out crews were accomplished in an orderly manner. The Chincoteague Coast Guard Station posted a contingent crew in the WFF Range Control Center, and Accomac County opened a shelter in the WFF Gym for a short time. Approximately 10 employees remained onsite during the storm. Since only 20 people showed up at the Gym, the county chose to move them to another shelter and the Gym was closed as a shelter early on the 19th. WFF suffered no major damage from the storm. Lots of tree limbs came down, and several trees were lost in the woods on the base. There weren't any buildings struck by falling trees. Thanks to the investment in the seawall, there is practically no clean up required on the Island. There was some minor wash over and sand at the low spots on the island. The Damage Assessment Team toured the base and found the utilities, roads and the causeway bridge to be in good shape. There was some minor damage to roof flashings and one building (C-15) had significant loss of shingles.