Out of Range: Rural Communities Lack Storm Sirens

editor — Thu, 7 Feb 2008 10:04:58 -0800

At 5 pm Feb. 5th, this tornado touched down Atkins, Arkansas, killing four people
Photo: Mike Avery, for The Courier

Fifty-five people died in storms across the mid-South Tuesday, as 91 tornados gouged parts of Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. A thousand homes were destroyed in Tennessee alone, according to Governor Phil Bresden.

There's no protection for a building in the path of a tornado, but what about people? Fourteen died in Macon County, Tennessee, an hour northeast of Nashville on the Kentucky line. There are no emergency sirens here. "You never think this will happen at home and you are never prepared," said Keith Scruggs, chief of Macon County's emergency management office. "It's a wake-up call." The National Weather Service had seen deadly conditions brewing six days ahead of the actual storms; on Tuesday the office issued more than 1000 tornado warnings across 11 states.

USA Today reported that in many rural communities "warning systems have significant gaps." The paper mentioned Aldridge Grove, Alabama, located beyond the range of sirens, where "a couple and their teen son" were killed Wednesday. "In Allen County, KY, where four people died, there are no sirens.... In Gassville, Ark., the emergency siren went off six minutes before the tornado hit — and destroyed the siren."

McCain Wins South Carolina's Most Urban and Rural

editor — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 11:04:42 -0800

The GOP presidential primary (1/19/08): McCain's counties in blue, Huckabee's in red. Problems with voting machines in Horry County (Myrtle Beach) delayed those returns.
Source: State of South Carolina

Arizona Senator John McCain won South Carolina's Republican primary yesterday, attracting 33% of the statewide vote. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, McCain's only close competitor in the race, took 30%.

McCain won all the state's metro areas except Greenville and Spartanburg in the northwest. He ran especially strong along the coast, beating Huckabee nearly 3-1 in Charleston.

But McCain also won in South Carolina's most rural counties.

By Julie Ardery and Bill Bishop

Out of Range: Rural Communities Lack Storm Sirens

McCain Wins South Carolina's Most Urban and Rural