Category: Education

Severe storms are expected in east Alabama from 1 p.m. to 7 a.m. Thursday. The Lee County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) says the bulk of intense severe weather will take place overnight.

“We cannot reiterate enough that you need multiple ways to receive emergency notifications,” Lee County EMA wrote in a Facebook post. “This is imperative that you ensure a plan of safety for you and your loved ones if a tornado watch or warning is issued.”

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Updated: Tuesday, March 16, at 1 p.m. 

There will be multiple safer locations opening throughout Lee County if a tornado watch is issued on Wednesday.

The Lee County Emergency Management Agency released a list of safer locations that will open only in the event a tornado watch is issued ahead of Wednesday’s severe weather.

The locations that will open if a tornado watch is issued are as follows:

• Auburn United Methodist Church, 137 S. Gay St., Auburn
• Open Door Tabernacle Church, 2089 Lee Rd. 42, Opelika
• Providence Baptist Church, 2807 Lee Rd. 166, Opelika
• Greater Peace Baptist Church, 650 Jeter Ave., Opelika
• Smiths Station Ruritan Club, 2000 Lee Rd. 430, Smiths Station
• Southern Union Community College Basement of the Business and Tech Center, 1701 Lafayette Pwky., Opelika
• Greene Hall, 1130 Wire Rd., Auburn
• Ralph Brown Draughan Library, 231 Mell St., Auburn

On Tuesday, Lee County EMA was urging the community to make a plan for what they will do during a tornado watch ahead of the weather on Wednesday.

“Preparedness is key for serious weather events like Wednesday will be,” the agency posted on its Facebook page.

The City of Auburn Public Safety Department is also reminding citizens that they and members of their households should have an emergency action plan in place ahead of Wednesday’s severe weather.

“When a storm system has the potential to develop high wind and tornadic activity, be prepared to go to a safe location on short notice,” Auburn said in a news release. “Have multiple methods of receiving weather alerts and information, especially throughout the nighttime hours. If you live in a mobile home, be prepared to move to a more suitable location in the event that a tornado watch is issued.”

The city recommends having a charged cell phone and wall charger, flashlight, radio, prescription medications and extra face masks on hand during severe wealther.

Part of Lee County is under a moderate risk area and part is under an enhanced risk area for severe weather Wednesday afternoon through early Thursday morning. The moderate risk includes the chance of strong, long-track tornadoes, damaging winds up to 80 miles per hour and golf-ball-sized hail.

The enhanced risk includes the chance of tornadoes, damaging winds up to 70 miles per hour and quarter-sized hail, according to the National Weather Service at Birmingham.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency to ensure the state is ready to act in any way needed from the state level. The state of emergency goes into effect at 6 p.m. Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s weather.

“Please make preparations now in the event your area is impacted in some way,” Ivey said. “I will continue keeping a close eye on the system and encourage every Alabamian to do the same.’”

            By Janet Burns

Determination “firmness of purpose; resoluteness.”   Determined “intention or resolution to overcome obstacles” from Webster’s dictionary.

As most of you who know me know, I am not much of a sports fan.  What you probably do not know is that sometimes I do read the sports page.  Through reading the sports page, I have learned a lot of things.  One of those things is that without participation and effort from all members of the team working together and supporting each other, no matter what the sport (even gymnastics, which I thought was individual), most of the time they do not do well.

 It applies to our work team at ACHR.  We need all of us, all “players” determined to work together in support of the agency, the programs and of each other to provide quality services to children and families to do it well.  When you think about it, it applies when we as human beings are trying to accomplish something that involves a group, large or small, in any work place, as members of a family, in faith groups, clubs and so on.

Saturday evening I was working at my computer and saw a headline that the Auburn basketball team had won against Kentucky.  Amazing, at least to me, since I never thought of AU as a basketball power.  As I scanned through one of the early articles, I read that AU players missed eight baskets in a row and were behind, but they were determined and kept shooting. 

Albert Einstein is widely credited with saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. Sounds like after missing eight shots they should have just quit – given up.  Said to Kentucky –“you win.”

Though I do not follow basketball, I would guess that actually the team was not doing exactly the same thing over again.  It seems various players have strengths and weakness and some things they do that are “special” like get the ball down the court to someone else who can shoot better.  All the players had the determination to keep going, worked together, got the ball closer and shot from different angles – and eventually among them, they hit enough baskets to win against Kentucky.

I read the next day that someone asked Coach Pearl if the AU team has moved from a “good team” which is what he had been saying the team was, to a “great team.”  He hedged and said something like they were becoming great, but still had work to do. 

That is us at ACHR.  We are good, but we have work to do to become the great program that we can be.

Then Monday I read about the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years after being behind in the third quarter 20-10.  Wow!  From the OA News “We never lost faith,” Mahomes said.  “That’s the biggest thing.  Everybody on this team, no one had their head down.  We believed in each other.” 

It is easy to get frustrated – to say it is just too much, we cannot do it, we walk off, or shut down, or sit and just watch, or talk ill of those who are trying instead of supporting or guiding them.  I feel that way sometimes and I am sure many of you do, too. Then I regroup and try again, because I am determined that this program be a great asset to our community. Several folks at ACHR are doing that, but like in sports, we need the whole team. If we work together as a team, and each of us support each other, get the “ball” closer, take some shots at the goals from different angles, and keep doing it, I am confident that we, like the AU basketball team on February 1, 2020, will get it “right.”  Then the programs we have will be a “great” instead of “good” asset to children, families and the community, which is our goal.  Are you determined to help make that happen?