document: Dealing with his first major hurricane as director of the National Hurricane Center , Bob Sheets was n't skipping a beat Tuesday as a multitude of reporters fired questions at him . Sheets , who was acting director during the 1987 Atlantic hurricane season and was named director in March , spent most of the morning on the sixth floor of hurricane headquarters beside a large monitor showing the destructive Hurricane Gilbert sprawled across much of the western Caribbean . His schedule of interviews was timed to the minute . But Sheets , rosy-cheeked and good-natured , did n't so much as flinch in his seat . After all , he noted , `` I 've flown into 200 hurricanes ... I really do n't think this is difficult . '' The transition from former Director Neil Frank , widely known for his distinctive style and flattop haircut , to Sheets , his dark blond hair carefully coiffed and wearing a bright pink shirt with a gray wool-blend jacket , has been a smooth one . `` He knows his job very well and he 's a calm personality , '' Vivian Jorge , the center 's budget analyst , said of Sheets . On days with active tropical weather , Ms. Jorge steps in to coordinate media interviews . And interest in Gilbert has been high since it started packing hurricane-force winds over the weekend and by Tuesday afternoon became a Category 5 storm with winds of 160 mph and a central pressure of 26.66 inches . A Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale of strength has winds in excess of 155 mph and pressure less than 27.17 inches and has the potential for causing catastrophic damage . `` This would be considered a ` Great Hurricane , ' '' said Sheets . `` It 's certainly in the top 10 percent as far as intensity , size and destructive potential . '' Gilbert was being compared to the hurricane of 1935 , which slammed into the Florida Keys and killed 600 people , and Hurricane Camille , which devastated the Mississippi coast in 1969 , killing 256 . Those are the only Category 5 storms which have made landfall this century . The last major hurricane to make landfall was Elena in 1985 , along the Mississippi , Alabama and Florida Panhandle . The major television networks , local stations and newspapers media were on hand to monitor the hurricane , which could reach the Gulf of Mexico by Thursday , said Sheets . From there , it 's anybody 's guess where it will go , he said . `` It 's a brand new ball game as far as the continental United States is concerned , '' said Sheets . The center 's 33-member crew , including seven hurricane forecasters and specialists , are keeping a close watch of the hurricane in a large , open room of blue monitors flickering with color and non-color graphics . And while Sheets might appear to be spend most of his day with tiny microphones snaking down his back for TV interviews and fielding questions , he also writes most of the hurricane advisories issued every three hours and makes hurricane forecasts . Dealing with a major hurricane is n't much different from dealing with smaller ones or tropical storms , Sheets said , adding that Gilbert has been particularly `` well-behaved . '' `` It does what we think it 's going to do ... You feel a lot more confident about what you 're doing than with weaker systems , '' he said .
extractive_keyphrases: destructive hurricane gilbert national hurricane center bob sheets atlantic hurricane season western caribbean hurricane headquarters catastrophic damage