Having the second largest commercial airport in the state of Michigan can have its advantages for a Civil Air Patrol Cadet Squadron. One of those reasons is the fact that we have a NOAA Weather Office right here in our 'backyard'.

A few weeks ago, I decided to stop in and see if it would be possible to do a tour of the office to see what it is they did there, and to provide an opportunity for the cadets to learn about another aerospace related career path. I met Jamie R. Casto Bielinski, who is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist for this particular office. She was very happy to accommodate my request for a tour; which was setup for today.

Due to the fact that it was Memorial Day weekend and may cadets were either on vacation, or off participating in finals for Track & Field, we didn't have as many cadets show up for this tour. But that was ok, because Mrs. Bielinski did a fantastic job in telling us everything she could about what NOAA and the NWS (National Weather Service)does to keep everyone informed of the current weather situation.

Oh and on an interesting note, for those of you who are in CAP and are 'Operations folks' who work with their communities and the local Emergency Managers, there is a preparedness plan called "Storm Ready" that is designed by the NWS to help communities plan for how they react to pre and post severe weather scenarios. This is something every community should work towards, and we as CAP folks in our communities can help get this going, just get the information and talk to your local Emergency Manager. Do it Today!