2009 Bahamas Weather Conference

Welcome to the Bahamas Weather Conference at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort.

Highlights of the Opening Ceremonies.

Former director of the National Hurricane Center, Max Mayfield, shares thoughts on key topics from the 2009 Bahamas Weather Conference.

The economic crisis in the U.S. has been felt far beyond its borders. How is The Bahamas faring and what is the country doing to court visitors? Are there any bright spots not visible in gloomy trend reporting? Hon. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace discusses.

If the 2008 hurricane season seemed quiet, you must not live along the Gulf Coast. With 16 named storms, six consecutive strikes on the U.S. and Ike, it was actually one for the record books. Review the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season with Bill Read, director of the National Hurricane Center.

Max Mayfield, former director of the National Hurricane Center, shares hurricane preparation tips and the components of a disaster supply kit.

Coming off the accuracy of last year's Atlantic Hurricane Forecast, Dr. Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University makes his 2009 predictions.

Dr. Bill Gray of Colorado State University explains the role of history in predicting the future.

Have Americans become so category-focused that we forget to watch for deadly storm surge? Should the Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale be updated or replaced? Bill Read, director of the National Hurricane Center, and former director Max Mayfield share their insights.

It's nearly summer vacation time, but will consumers be traveling this year? Vernice Walkine, director general, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism talks about the business of travel and why now may just be the time to start planning a getaway.

Hurricane season 2008 was a soggy one in the southern Bahamas, but the destination successfully rode out another stormy season. Arthur Rolle, director of the Bahamas Department of Meteorology recaps the activity.

Communities in the path of hurricanes Gustav and Ike were on alert for wind, but in fact it was water that took out their homes. Dr. Wilson Shaffer from the National Weather Service's Meteorological Development Laboratory discusses some storm surge misconceptions.

Emergency managers and forecasters work together in times of crisis, but do they have competing priorities? Education is the key in encouraging public response and cooperation.

Hear from the meteorologists who reported live from the scene of Ike's destruction. Did they blend drama with responsible reporting? Panel discussion moderated by Dr. Steve Lyons of The Weather Channel.

More than 90 percent of Americans think the economic downturn has affected the insurance industry's ability to pay claims. Is this fact or fiction? We'll find out from Dr. Robert Hartwig, president and CEO of the Insurance Information Institute.

Dr. Steve Lyons of The Weather Channel suggests that Saffir-Simpson, even with added surge scale, is not the best way of communicating storm impact.

Feet. Dr. Chris Landsea of NOAA and the National Hurricane Center adds to the discussion of Saffir-Simpson and its limitations.

America's Emergency Network offers a direct conduit for the distribution of emergency messages even when the traditional networks are crippled by power failures.

When entire towns are nearly wiped from the map by a category 3 hurricane, there is clearly room for improvement in building codes. Nanette Lockwood, PE of Solutia, Inc. advises the public to demand more.

Loss prevention begins at home with an educated consumer. Get the latest from Julie Rochman, president and CEO of the Institute of Business and Home Safety.

Education is part of the foundation of a strong house. Federal Alliance for Safe Homes' (FLASH) Leslie Chapman Henderson shares how edu-tainment can be used to change hurricane risk behavior.

Wise choices in site planning and construction are the keys to mitigating future loss of property from hurricanes. Dr. William H. Hooke, director of the American Meteorological Society Policy Program, explains how.

New technology is helping the hearing and sight impaired react quickly to approaching storms and warnings. Wendy Spencer, chief executive officer of Volunteer Florida, shares information now new ways to communicate with this public.

Dr. Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University investigates the use of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) as a predictor for Atlantic basin hurricane activity on a one- to two-week timescale.

The globe is warming, but is it causing an increase in tropical storms and hurricanes? Dr. Chris Landsea, National Hurricane Center, shares his observations.

The strongest storms are getting stronger. Is global warming to blame? Jim Kossin, of NOAA, will discuss observed changes and their effect, or not, on tropical cyclones.

Has research yet resolved the relationship of global warming to hurricanes or is there much work still to be done? Stay tuned for a lively discussion by an expert panel of what all this means for those of us who wonder.