Robert Ricks is a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in

Slidell, Louisiana Slidell is a city on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 28,781 at the 2020 census. It is part of the New Orleans− Metairie−Kenner metropolitan statistical area. Hist ...

, where he serves as lead forecaster. Ricks is best known for the strongly worded bulletin he issued prior to the arrival of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

, warning of "Devastating damage ... water shortages will make human suffering incredible by modern standards". The bulletin predicted "Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer". Some national news agencies thought the bulletin was a hoax. Ricks has been stationed at the National Weather Service Forecast Office for the New Orleans/Baton Rouge area since 1994. He has also worked at NWS offices in Jackson, Mississippi, Dodge City Kansas, and the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center in Slidell, LA as well as for the private sector in Houston, Texas. He often serves as event coordinator during severe weather events that impact the New Orleans area. When asked how much of him was in the wording, Ricks explained "I was trying to find things to actually take out. And I said, "I cannot find it in myself to take these out, because they seem very valid for the situation." And I came from the experience of going through Betsy and Camille myself in the

Lower Ninth Ward The Lower Ninth Ward is a neighborhood in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. As the name implies, it is part of the 9th Ward of New Orleans. The Lower Ninth Ward is often thought of as the entire area within New Orleans downriver of the Industr ...

." Ricks began crafting the statement based on a template created by meteorologists Barry Goldsmith and Walt Zaleski at the NWS Tampa Bay area office in 1999-2000, but updated it for the New Orleans area and beyond as the storm progressed. Ricks' forecast came to fruition for several members of his family. His aunt, Teresa Ricks'

Waveland, Mississippi Waveland is a city located in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city of Waveland was incorporated in 1972. As of the 2010 ce ...

home was washed off its foundation by the

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...

. His stepmother, Cathy Ricks' New Orleans home in the

Poydras Poydras is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,886 at the 2000 census and 2,536 in 2020. It is part of the New Orleans– Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. P ...

suburb was destroyed. Another aunt, Sylvia Guerin's

Chalmette Chalmette ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in, and the parish seat of, St. Bernard Parish in southeastern Louisiana, United States. The 2010 census reported that Chalmette had 16,751 people; 2011 population was listed as 17,119; however, th ...

restaurant was impacted by an explosion resulting from a gas leak during the hurricane. Ricks' uncle's home was submerged under of water when a nearby levee failed. In 2010, Ricks was among those honored with the Operational Achievement Group Award by the

National Weather Association The National Weather Association (NWA), founded in 1975, is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities. Background The National Weather Association is, ...

for his contributions to agencies responding to the

Deepwater Horizon accident The ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill (also referred to as the "BP oil spill") was an industrial disaster that began on 20 April 2010 off of the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considered ...

with forecasts of wind/waves supporting burn and oil recovery missions and containment operations. Ricks lives with his wife of 29 years on the north shore of

Lake Pontchartrain Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from west ...

. He has two children and two grandchildren who live in the area. On April 25, 2014, television channel France 24 aired a follow-up program about Hurricane Katrina. It interviewed Robert Ricks, then still working at the New Orleans weather station. He gave as his opinion that the city had safeguarded against a storm of the same magnitude as Katrina, but was still vulnerable to a, "category 4- or category 5- type threat.”France 24. "Eight years after Katrina, New Orleans still vulnerable." April 25, 2014.
Accessed April 23, 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricks, Robert Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American meteorologists National Weather Service people People from New Orleans