Robert Ricks is a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Slidell, Louisiana, where he serves as lead forecaster. Ricks is best known for the strongly worded bulletin he issued prior to the arrival of Hurricane Katrina, warning of "Devastating damage ... water shortages will make human suffering incredible by modern standards". The bulletin predicted "Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer". Some national news agencies thought the bulletin was a hoax.