Hurricane Hugo in 1989 was powerful Category 4 storm that struck the northeastern tip of Puerto Rico, causing severe damage to the San Juan metropolitan area. The island was impacted by two hurricanes in 2017. Irma was a Category 5 that brushed the north coast while leaving over a million people without power and weakening the overall grid. Maria struck two weeks later as a Category 4 that caused the longest blackout in U.S. history. Fiona brought 30 inches of rain just five years later as a Category 1, causing a total grid failure again.
Lakesider Rob Dale is a meteorologist and emergency manager. He spent over a decade on TV after starting at WTVG TV13 in Toledo back in 1999 with Stan Stachak and Jay Berschback. He made the transition to emergency management in 2009 and currently works for Ingham County Michigan Emergency Management as the deputy emergency manager.
He is a Certified Emergency Manager and national expert on public alerting. Dale graduated from Jacksonville State University with a Bachelor’s in Emergency Management, and has a Masters from American Military University. He currently serves as an adjunct professor for the University of Maryland in their emergency management program.
