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ALERT Newsletter

ALERT NEWSLETTER — April 2008 Vol. 1 No. 10http://www.alert-alabama.org Remembering April 8, 1998 It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the night of the F5 tornado that ripped through Western Jefferson County. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I was with my family that night. Dad was sick & I was helping Mom out. I remember the storm in Tuscaloosa County & the damage reports coming in. I remember as it crossed the Warrior River & Mom asking me “It’s heading for us isn’t it?” & me saying “Yes”. I remember hearing reports of damage in Oak Grove & Sylvan Springs & as it scraped Pleasant Grove, hearing on the scanner the Fairfield Police saying, “it’s on the border of Wylam & Fairfield” & me thinking “that’s us”. I remember going outside as it neared & hearing — nothing. Silence quieter than death. Almost like my ears were plugged, that silent. And, the unceasing lightning — like a florescent bulb going bad. Lightning all around me, but not a sound to be heard. And, then the roar. A faintr Continue reading
ALERT NEWSLETTER — March 2008 Vol. 1 No. 9http://www.alert-alabama.orgHi everyone,March has arrived, and with its arrival we enter into the peak of the spring tornado season. Are you ready? Can you receive weather warnings? At home? At work? On the road? Even with a power outage? Where can you hide? Again at home, at work or on the road. And, if a tornado strikes near you, do you know what to do? These are questions that need to be asked and resolved. You and your family’s life depend on it. At ALERT we respond to the NWS to take storm reports. But, our primary responsibility is to take care of ourselves, our families and then our community. Take time to learn about disaster preparedness. Think about what you will do if “it” happens to you. And, educate your family, friends, coworkers and neighbors as to what to do and why they should prepare also. Even if they might not want to listen. Little Continue reading
ALERT NEWSLETTER — February 2008 “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ Vol. 1 No. 8 Hi Everyone & Happy Ground Hog Day! Whether you are a believer or not, if there are any Groundhogs around Birmingham, (and there are, for Teresa and I saw one once ambling about on Shades Mountain while we were eating at the Tip Top Cafe on Shades Crest), he, she or it definitely saw it’s shadow today. So restock up on the bread and milk, Winter is here to stay. How did we come up with Groundhog Day anyway? It is said by one theory that the first day of Spring is about six weeks after Groundhog Day, on March 20 or 21. 1000 years ago when the world used the Julian Calendar, Spring Equinox fell on March 16, which is exactly six weeks after February 2. So, if the groundhog saw his shadow on Groundhog Day there would be six more weeks of winter. But, if he didn’t, there would be only 42 more days of winter left instead. Get the calculator out and you will find that 42 days equals six weeks, so Groundhog Day may have started out as a practical joke. The modern 21 Centur Continue reading
Hi Everyone & Happy New Year! With the turning of the calendar it’s natural that one reflects on the past & thinks about the future. In my case these last few days I have found this to be especially true. As I am encountering two milestones in my life. One, being my reaching age fifty, which if I start weeping about again I’ll short out the keyboard (again) & the other being me celebrating my thirtieth year in Amateur Radio. What drew my attention to Ham Radio was severe weather and the weather nets. For a moment, lets journey back in time, to when I first heard of Ham Radio. It was 1973 & I was a 15-year-old kid interested in meteorology. There was a tornado warning & my sister Diane called and said “tune around 146 on the dial & you can hear the Civil Defense talking about the storm.” Well, she was partly right, they were talking about the storm. Something called the Alabama Emergency Net X-ray with a weird call sign W4CUE. <stron Continue reading

ALERT / National Weather Service Birmingham Coverage Area

  • ALERT covers the BMX county warning area. Presently, this includes: Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lamar, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Marion, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Winston