GOODBYE, MAX.

"You don't want the federal government to be your first-responders. The government can't do everything for people and it shouldn't, or else you create a culture of dependence." -- Outgoing National Hurricane Center Head Max Mayfield

Max Mayfield is ending his tenure as head of the National Hurricane Center. There are rarely few people that are heralded in Public Service the way this calm, resolute man has been.

There for us during some of the most active Hurricane seasons the last few years, Mayfield exemplified a professionalism that every American could appreciate.

His warnings 48 to 72 hours out before Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast fell on deaf ears. Still, 12 hours before landfall, Mayfield made one last ditch push to the Governor of Louisiana to warn of the impending doom to New Orleans.

Still resolute in his predictions, Mayfield faced red tape from all levels of local and state government. He would later say that final phone call had to be made before he put his head down at night. I recall an interview in which Mayfield wanted to make sure he had done everything possible to avoid as much death and destruction that was sure to be forthcoming.

In the days after the disaster, Mayfield was the one person that was immune from the finger pointing. He was virtually the only person government officials were praising. It was with good reason.

Now, Mayfield can leave the post he's held while still raising the flag of impending doom. In an article (link below) Mayfield warns of the resistance of builders, residents, and local governments to prepare for a larger disaster than Katrina.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-hurricane3jan03,0,3253020.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Mayfield believes this will happen somewhere in the Southeastern US within the next 10-20 year active Hurricane cycle the Gulf and Atlantic is experiencing. The dire prediction by Mayfield: 10 times the number of deaths that Katrina heralded.

Residents of all Coastal states owe a great deal to Max Mayfield. He truly embodied what public service should be.

Randy Gupton, fivesecondstoair.blogspot.com