South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)

Meteorolog­ists faced threats of storms, COVID

- By Chris Perkins

Hurricane season was heavy for meteorolog­ists, tasked with forecastin­g and reporting on the busiest season in recorded history, all while battling the challenges of the coronaviru­s pandemic.

As storm after storm punished parts of the U.S. coast and threatened others, the work of these forecaster­s was more important than even in 2020, when a record 30 storms formed.

All the while, COVID-19 was on the radar.

Phil Ferro of WSVN-TV had to keep a wide distance from co-workers after a battle with throat cancer last year put him at high risk for

COVID-19. He stayed away from co-workers at the office.

Jacqui Jeras of The Weather Channel spent part of hurricane season isolating in her home after her teenage son was diagnosed with

COVID-19. Jeras quarantine­d in October, a month when the Atlantic birthed Tropical Storm Gamma aswell as Hurricanes Delta, Epsilon and Zeta, the fifth and final hurricane to make land fall in Louisiana.

WSVN’s Vivian Gonzalez isolated at home with her family for 10 days because they were exposed to the virus. She returned towork Monday.

Betty Davis of WPLG-TV spent three days in the hospital in July due to COVID-19. She was released in mid-July, after Tropical Storms Edouard and Fay developed, and before Tropical Storm Gonzalo and Hurricanes Hanna and Isaias.

“I realize COVID could have killed me,” Davis said.

And then there’s Paul Goodloe of The Weather Channel, whose close friend was hospitaliz­ed twice due to COVID-19. Goodloe traveled during hurricane season, braving the world of airplanes and hotels, and, uncharacte­ristically keeping his distance from fans and well-wishers who saw him while on assignment.

“That’s been tough,” said the affable Goodloe. “You’re coming across as rude. Then you have to explain to them you’ve got to be safe.”

These and other forecaster­s had to get creative tostay on top of this year’ s convey er belt of storms while managing their safety during the pandemic.

Some moved their broadcasti­ng studios into their homes, something they’d never done previously.

Communicat­ions methods had to be changed, equipment had to be shipped.

Lauren Olesky of WPEC-TV broadcast from home from April through mid- September, an experience she described as “surreal.” Olesky covered the bulk of hurricane season from home but was instudio for the last dozen or so storms.

At one point the station shipped her five pieces of 4x4 carpeting to so her voice wouldn’t echo off the wooden floors in her two-bedroom apartment. When Olesky needed to shoot promos for the station she’d have her husband record her on her cellphone and then email the video to the station.

Unlike The Weather Channel anchors, Olesky didn’t have a studio set up in her home. The station’s production manager brought a green screen to her house to display weather graphics. Her cellphone washer studio camera.

“I had to be my own director, producer and everything ,” she said .“I was setting my own camera up.”

Anyone who has had to work remotely and hold virtual meetings knows the challenges created by background noise— barking dogs, leaf blowers, noisy children. For these forecaster­s, being onthe air was another level.

Choppy video wasn’t an option. Some broadcaste­rs had to have family members change their online habits due to the internet bandwidth needed to broadcast from home.

“You may have to tell the kids, ‘You can’t stream a movie between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.,’ ”said Steve Fahey, senior director of technical operation for The Weather Channel.

Davis, WPLG’s chief meteorolog­ist, feared for her life after battling COVID-19 during the peak of Florida’s summer surge. By then, six tropical storms had already formed and therewas a long wayto go.

Her symptoms started with a cough, then a headache, then a fever she couldn’t control and finally a battle with pneumonia.

“For me, by day 8, Iwas in the hospital wondering ,‘ Am I going to make it?’ “she said.

Davis needed weeks to recover after her release from the hospital. She still suffers from lingering effects of COVID-19. For WSVN’s Ferro, Channel 7’s chief meteorolog­ist, work could have been a harrowing operation because of COVID-19. He said he had a million questions for his doctors.

“Having cancer twice,” he said, “I really didn’t want to take any chances.”

Distancing wasn’t a big problem. WSVN has remote-controlled cameras, the anchors have always sat at a separate desk about 20 feet away, and the weather department now coordinate­s their arrival sand departures at the office so they don’t see one another. They have people working from home, but there’ s only one person at a time in theweather office.

“We’ve got to protect the chief,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said his sister, a middle-school teacher, contracted the virus, possibly from two of her students who tested positive. Her father also tested positive and she informed the station she had to quarantine athome.

“I’m kind of tired of cleaning,” Gonzalez said with a chuckle. “I’ve used so much Clorox.”

Jeras quarantine­d with her husband and son. They stayed on separate floors of the house. Jeras had the basement, her husband took the main floor, and her son took the top floor. They didn’t interact in person. Instead, they’d Face Time to communicat­e.

“I’ d make dinner and leave it at the top of the steps for him, and say, ‘Let me know if you need anything,’ “she said.

Goodloe almost has a complete studio in his basement. He has a camera, a 20-inch TV monitor and his laptop can mirror the weather graphics on TV. He even has telestrato­r capabiliti­es — a system that allows him to draw on the screen during his broadcast.

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