Orlando Bermúdez

Educational Background:

• I graduated with a Bachelor's in Earth Science and a minor in communication from Kean University located in Union, New Jersey. After taking a break to raise my two daughters, I returned to the classroom setting while working shifts to complete a Master of Science in Emergency Management from Millersville University. 

Describe the career path that led you to your current job with the National Weather Service.

• The same day of graduation from Kean University, I received a call for an interview with Climadata Corporation in Miami, Florida. I flew to Miami the following week for the interview and they made an offer the week after. I moved to Miami for my first job as a meteorologist.

  Nine months later, I interviewed with The Weather Channel (TWC) en Español. Shortly after, I received an offer and moved to Marietta, Georgia, where the TWC en Español operates. After a couple of years working there, an opportunity arrived to work for the Weather System International (WSI) Company. Once again, I moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to work alongside the WSI team. While there, I traveled to 42 states and trained weather anchors and television producers to utilize the on-air weather computer and graphical systems.

  During one of my trips to install an emergency weather computer system in Tampa a few days before Hurricane Charley made landfall, I found out that the San Juan Weather Forecast Office had a vacancy announcement for a meteorologist. I applied and got the job. This opportunity gave me the chance to return to Puerto Rico, where I grew up, and to be closer to my parents, family, and friends. I served the people in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands for five and a half years before accepting an offer to work at the Austin/San Antonio Weather Forecast Office, where I presently serve.

What do you do for the NWS?

• I am a weather forecaster at the Austin/San Antonio Weather Forecast Office. However, I wear other hats as well, such as the lead program leader of the Multimedia Assistance in Spanish (MAS), Board member of the Latinos@NOAA, and recently finished a two-year commitment as a committee member of the National Weather Service Mentoring Program. Since I felt that time was on my side to tackle something else, I applied and got accepted into the Mid Career Leadership Development Program, a nine month commitment. My main goal for this program is to build a stronger and solid foundation of the structure of the National Weather Service to assist other colleagues to excel in public service and elevate our mission of building a rock-solid Climate and Weather Ready Nation.

What was the most interesting, exciting, or impactful weather/water event you experienced while working for the NWS and why does it stand out?

• The back-to-back events of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria take the spot. That journey began when I was deployed to the San Juan Weather Forecast Office to assist during Irma tropical operations. Hurricane Irma destroyed the U.S. Virgin Islands on September 6, 2017, while the northeast part of the island of Puerto Rico, including the smaller islands of Vieques and Culebra, suffered considerable damage. On the evening of September 6, the center of Irma passed around 57 miles from the forecast office. The strong winds brought down a palm tree in front of the office entrance gate, which I saw through the office’s webcam system.

  At that very moment, we felt that we were trapped and the upcoming shift would not be able to come in. Luckily, the phone rang for a live interview with a well-known TV and radio personality about the latest information about Irma, including any type of reports. So, I took the opportunity to talk about the palm tree blocking the entrance and called for emergency management or local officials to assist with the removal of the palm tree during the interview. A few minutes later, a local official called the office to verify the incident and that help was on the way. Cool, right?

  Moving forward two weeks into late September, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and the island went dark with little to no communication. Back in San Antonio, minutes became days and days became weeks when trying to find out about my parents on the south side of the island, where Maria made landfall around 25 miles to the east of their home. It was on day number thirteen that I was able to hear my parents' voices for the first time after the hurricane for about 3 to 4 minutes.

  I wanted to go back to the island to assist with anything; however, at that time it was hard to do so. Luckily, I was deployed for two weeks in November to the Miami Weather Forecast Office, which serves as a backup office to the San Juan Weather Forecast Office. Long story short, I was able to assist the San Juan Weather Forecast Office team and the people of Puerto Rico with timely forecasts to plan for the days ahead as recovery was taking place.

  In the summer of 2018, I was able to travel to Puerto Rico and assist with cleaning and painting school buildings in the municipality of Toa Baja as part of a special assignment of the Emergency Management Masters Program I was enrolled in.

What made you decide to pursue a career with the NWS?

• As an adolescent, I had the vision to become a pilot, meteorologist, or electrical engineer. From these choices, becoming a weatherman or electrical engineer was going to be financially more affordable than going to a flying school. Moving forward to my college years, I began taking engineering courses, and after a year, I switched to the Earth Science department. Once I completed the Earth Science degree, I accepted a private sector job. A few years later, the San Juan Weather Forecast Office had an opening and got the position. From day one there, I felt welcome, in addition to spending time reaching out to the community and teaching them about weather hazards and impacts. I am close to celebrating two decades with the NWS and looking forward to another decade and assisting with the evolution of the agency and its mission.

What do you like most about working for the NWS?

• The dedicated workforce and the mindset of inclusiveness from higher levels. It is a new era in the NWS, and I am loving this path. It is slowly emerging that we are on the right track. When it comes to opportunities, NWS is a champion, supporting new ideas and innovative ways of communicating hazards and impacts as we together build a stronger whole community approach.

What advice do you have for someone interested in a career with the NWS?

• My advice for someone wanting to work for the NWS is to give it a try and have that experience. It is a federal job with excellent benefits and salary. When it comes to work in field offices where the person works shift hours, that could be a challenge; the person has to adjust to have a life-work balance. Otherwise, it is a great place to work, and I believe that the new generation has what it takes to transform the NWS to a different level in the years to come.

What training or coursework would you recommend to someone interested in following your career path?

• Take computer language courses such as Python. Understand Geographic Information Systems (GIS) well and try to learn a new language. Take the free Doppler radar courses offered at the Warning Decision Training Division website and the plethora of free online courses through the COMET MedEd offsite link website. One more thing, keep your politically savvy skills in shape.

Anything else you want to share?

• Come open-minded and explore the opportunities the NWS offers, such as the Hazardous Weather Testbed experiments (HWT), become involved with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), enroll in mentorship programs from NWS or NOAA, and have the appetite for learning something new every day. Very importantly, make sure to have a work-life balance, stay healthy, and have fun while building trust with your team, Core Partners, media outlets, and the community you serve.