In Our Own Words...

As the National Weather Service celebrates its 150th Anniversary in 2020, NWS employees and retirees are sharing their own memories and thoughts about our heritage. Read their stories in their own words below.

We at the NWS Heritage Project can’t complete such an enormous task without you! Whether you’re a current or former employee of the NWS, your memories and stories help us better understand the history of our agency, how we got to where we are today, and where we will go next. If you’re interested in writing a story or even providing us with some background information on an event, technology, era, or other memory from your time at the NWS, please check out the following guide and forms:

  Contributor's Guide   Photo Release Form   Terms and Conditions for Website Submissions
Deborah Jones

Deborah Jones

Here, in her own words, are those of Deborah Jones, Program Analyst for the Rip Currents and Beach Hazards Program at NWS Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD.

“In my thirty plus years with the National Weather Service, I have always looked forward to coming to work primarily for two reasons: first, because of the professionalism and passion of my co-workers for saving lives; and second, because in my position as a Program Analyst for the Rip Currents and Beach Hazards Program, I can directly and indirectly contribute to the saving of lives.

Every day of my, to-date, thirty-three year career at NWSQ has proven to be a wonderful place for me to sink my roots and develop my career. It has afforded me the opportunity to pursue my passionate interest in the physical sciences, and share that knowledge with individuals and the public through the development of lifesaving outreach materials. I have been truly blessed to have worked with equally as passionate and skilled colleagues in the development of these materials. As a life career, my tenure at NWS couldn’t have been more perfect.

I remember the day in 2012, when a woman sent me an email sharing her real life testimonial about the “Break the Grip of the Rip!® video, which I helped to develop. While on vacation in Mexico, she had taken the time to watch the NOAA/NWS “Break the Grip of the Rip! ® video. The time she took to watch this video saved her life. While swimming in the Pacific Ocean, she had gotten caught in a strong rip current which dragged her into rough waves that kept slamming her into rocks. In a desperate moment, she recalled the rip current video she had watched an hour earlier showing her how to escape a rip current. She immediately followed those instructions and got herself out of the rip, away from the dangerous waves, and safely back on the dry beach. She was very grateful to NOAA/NWS for making the rip current video that had shown her how to save her life if caught in a rip current.

Just another day in the office at NWSHQ Marine Branch...and yet, I have received countless phone calls and emails from Chambers of Commerce, beach rental properties, agencies, local citizens in small coastal towns throughout the nation and even internationally asking for help with how to raise the awareness of their local citizens and visitors to surf zone hazards, such as rip currents and dangerous waves that are indigenous to their coastal waters. The gratitude for the outreach materials I send has continually compelled me to keep pursuing the creation of lifesaving messages.

Just another day at the beach...well, yes and no. Yes, in that it is our mission here at NWS to primarily save lives; however, to save a life goes beyond the routine duties of an office job. To know that your daily, routine tasks are contributing both directly and indirectly to saving lives and enhancing the economic viability of the nation can only be summed up as the most perfect routine job that has the most extraordinary impact on society.