Hurricane center head reassigned amid protests

MIAMI--The head of the National Hurricane Center has been reassigned in the wake of employee protests.

Bill Proenza, who had served as NHC director in Miami for less than a year, had held that if an aging weather satellite was not replaced, NHC employees would face serious difficulties forecasting hurricanes. A group of NHC employees disagreed and called for his resignation, saying that he overstated the problem.

Mr. Proenza was reassigned to unspecified other duties on Monday, and Deputy Director Ed Rappaport assumed the director's duties on a temporary basis.