“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness being pushed aside In McDonough, GA By Those who feel they need to Insert Their Ideas Upon The Populace.”

There has been a lot of talk as of late about abolishing smoking in McDonough, GA.  This has caused friction amongst many of the people in McDonough.  You have those who are screaming at the top of their lungs to stop all outdoor smoking and those on the other side of the coin screaming no at the top of their lungs.  The city has had a meeting to listen to each side of the coin, but much has been left out that needs to be said.  Here is a take from someone who doesn’t smoke or drink.  We have two very powerful documents about the rights of the citizens here in the United States.  The United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Put simply, there are no two documents more important to American jurisprudence than the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The latter expresses several American ideals -- freedom from unreasonable government, the right to be left to chart one's own course, an equal chance to make as fulfilling a life as anyone else and many others. The former establishes the framework by which these ideals will be protected, nurtured and regulated. Put together, they are a masterwork of statesmanship that would provide the legal foundation for the nascent United States.  Much has changed since the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in the spring of 1775. Yet, the Declaration of Independence, written during that session, remains the de facto expression of the American ideal -- freedom from tyranny, freedom to live life as one chooses, freedom simply to be happy. Happiness is mentioned specifically in the Declaration, an addition that becomes somewhat unusual upon further scrutiny. Why? After all, British troops were encroaching upon the lives of American colonists and militias were being assembled to prepare for war. Despite this civic unrest, the concept of happiness figured prominently enough in the mind of author Thomas Jefferson that he chose to include it in the first paragraph of the document. What's more, his fellow members in the congress -- who heavily edited Jefferson's draft -- chose to include it in the final version.

In the document, the natural rights granted by the "Creator" for an individual's "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” are described by Jefferson as “Self-evident.”  People are given the right to enjoy what they like in life whether it is eating, smoking, or drinking alcoholic beverages.  Here is the rabbit hole that I see this ordinance taking the citizens of McDonough.   If you abolish outdoor smoking in the ordinance this might open a pandora’s box.  What if those who don’t like the smell of alcoholic beverages don’t  want to smell them in the eateries or in the public setting and they  want it abolished from a setting that offends them.  You see one can carry to the other.  Then, it will hurt the local businesses financially and those who run the city politically.  Then what do you have and what do you do to rectify the situation after the cow has left the barn after the door is left open.

It also needs to be remembered here that thousands of people men and women gave their lives in wars to give everyone those inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Many of them smoked and they drank alcohol too.  There is the paradox today they ask our 18-21 year olds to take up weapons in the armed forces to go and fight for this nation for those rights that we love so dearly to make sure they remain in place.  But these same 18-21 year  olds when home cannot buy tobacco products or alcohol.  They can be on the base, but not outside.  Now where does this paradox lead?  Should they be asked to die for our nation if they can’t have one of those basic rights of life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness?    McDonough, Georgia is not the only small town that has faced this question before.    Those that have taken the rabbit hole found their lives changed forever and their towns.  Maybe just listen to the voices from the past who were far more intelligent on the rights of citizens than we.  Then the paradox of the rabbit hole will just fade away.

The Doctor.

My name is W. Jones, and I live in Sunnyside, GA and A friend contacted me about something that was revealed in her hometown. I have a very troubling story here from Hogansville, Georgia.  A friend of mine who lives there said she has heard stories before, but they were confirmed today about an asbestos dumping ground in the city.  There is a subdivision over off Collier St that many call the “duck pond.”  It is Mallard’s Lake, developed over the years by Century Homes.  A resident of the subdivision came forward, telling about the wooded area that borders the homes.  It has a chain link fence around it and has signs inside warning of asbestos being there and not to enter unless you have on a special suit and respirator.  This particular property is owned by Uniroyal, which is 10.5 acres.  The property was used to dump asbestos leftovers by the former US Rubber Company at the two mills in Hogansville.  My friend looked further and there is another 12.2-acre site along Lincoln St that belongs to Uniroyal and is likely hiding the deadly asbestos.  The city owns the land bordering the asbestos-labeled dump at the duck pond.  Also, likely contaminated.  There are other sites across Church St from the main site that belong to the city that will be used for a park.  One wonders what lurks underground.  There was a lot of asbestos created in Hogansville for over 50 years.  A lot of workers didn't know the danger and many of them died from asbestos-related illnesses.  Today, children sneak into these properties to play and they don’t realize the inherent danger they are facing.  My friend wonders if more of the land where the duck pond was built could have been contaminated.  The duck pond may be on the news as a dangerous area and this has hurt their chances of selling their homes and they could be harmed by the contamination.  This is frightening and no one seems to be upset enough to do something about it.  Below, I have added photos pertaining to the area and locations of the involved properties.

 Photo 1: The two sites still owned by Uniroyal that began as US Rubber and was used to dump asbestos on Church St and along Lincoln St

 Photo 2: The city owns this property that borders the landfill at Mallards Lake.

 Photo 3:  The city owns this property across the street on Church St that was land-fill.

 Photo 4: This property connects with the others owned by the city too and was land-fill that became a ball field and is about to be repurposed into a park.

W. Jones.

“Clear cutting of land and buildings and roadways”

 

The title says a lot in that since man  has been clear cutting land to build subdivisions, businesses and warehouses across various regions it has caused a micro system to form where it is finally affecting the climate and weather over areas involved.  Take for example all the clear cutting that has taken place over the corridor south of Atlanta from just west of Newnan to east of McDonough.  It also has affected the area from Griffin to Jackson as well.   As the area heats during the day because of the lack of trees and from the reflected heat from the concrete, asphalt and metal that line the areas it is affecting the weather in a micro area just as it does in downtown Atlanta and across the area from Paulding County to Gwinnett County.  As strong storms move in from Alabama across this area they build in intensity and are primed by the heat island effect that all this has created.  It hasn’t been that many years ago they had an EF 4 tornado in Coweta County that can be attributed to this.  The smaller EF 2 tornado of May 29, 2025 can be attributed to this effect as well that dropped just south of McDonough in Henry County.  The area west of the county is clear cutting and so as they are in Henry County.  Now more clear cutting is planned for the area around Lake Talmadge in the very western edge of the county and also in the areas planned for the new Data Centers which will create their own little micro system of heat over  a small area that can ignite a storm that passes over it.

  Remember also the storms that build in this heat island will also move eastward to haunt our neighbors in Rockdale, Newton and Jasper Counties.    It is bad enough with the traffic along the roadways of Hwys 54 and 34 W; Hwy 85 north to south; Hwy 19 & 41 north and south; and I-75 north and south.  These heavily traveled roads are creating acid rain from all the vehicles creating carbon dioxide which rises in the atmosphere and when it mixes with water it becomes sulphuric acid.  I wrote about this problem that was beginning over 40 years ago and yet no one paid attention and I said then that the storms would get worse as the areas would become heat islands and no one listened.  Well now we are seeing what I saw long ago and it can be slowed.  If the areas stop the clear cutting, make the roads less congested, and replant trees.  I will not live long enough to see things make a difference if it is begun today.  It takes time for trees to grow and to fix roadways.  People have to understand it is not the current citizens who will be able to see and feel the difference, it is the generations to come.  I hope people will begin to listen so things will get better instead of steadily worse.  We are our own worst enemy, my friends and neighbors.  We have hurt our own selves with the want of money and the uncontrolled lust for it.  I have always said follow the money well in this case it isn’t hard to see the results of uncontrolled greed.

“Clear cutting from history”

It has been about a century ago that clear cutting caused a microcosm of the climate in local areas.  Farmers had to strip away the forests to plant cotton, corn and other foodstuffs that brought in money to their pockets.  The clear cutting causes temperature extremes and also was the time of the dust bowl that engulfed much of the  United States.  The idea of clear cutting of trees today brings back those memories of history.  They say history will repeat itself and in this case it sadly could.  Farmers didn’t realize what was happening and neither do the developers of today.  And  it will come on suddenly to take hold of the area before they can react to it.  I am including photos from Heard County and Troup County from that time to give an example of the disaster it brought on.

Staff writer Dr. Mike Moon PhD.

Photo 1 Erosion from clear-cutting in Heard County 1941.

Photo 2 More erosion from Heard County 1041.

Photo 3 Clear-cutting in Hogansville 1905.

Photo 4 Clear-cutting and poor farming practices in the 1930s caused Providence Canyon in Lumpkin GA this photo is from 2010.

Here is a synopsis of the story behind the tragic tornado that struck Henry County, GA on May 29, 2025.

 

There are many residents of Henry County who are also being followed by those local pot-stirring residents who are blaming Henry County for not letting them know about the  tornado  coming to their area.  Let me be clear on this: the local Henry County Emergency Management can only act and let people know about severe weather if and only if a watch or warning is issued from the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA.  It has been the mandate of the NWS since its inception to try and save  the lives of residents who are in the path of severe weather across the United States and its territories.  Whether it is from blizzards, flooding, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes.  The NWS has the best satellite imagery, doppler radar systems and linked tracking of weather  amongst the  various  sites.  Part of the issue is who was working at the time this thunderstorm went severe at the NWS.  Why did they miss the signs of danger that come from their excellent equipment?  They dropped the ball and it wasn't the first time.  Local tv meteorologist Chris Holcomb saw the storm as it entered Henry County from lower Fayette County at the Atlanta International Raceway at Hampton where he saw signs of rotation and was reporting live on television.  He even tracked it across the area to where the tornado dropped down and hit the Laurel Creek Subdivision.  He even showed how the debris ball had formed in the storm and showed the direction of the storm..  The NWS was about 10 minutes late issuing the tornado warning for Henry County.  Chris Holcomb stayed with the storm even after the warning expired.  Now here is an issue that needs to be addressed.  There are many television meteorologists who have been trained in how to interpret doppler radar and what they are tracking.  Chris Holcomb, Brad Nitz, Glen Burns, Joanne Feldman, David Chandley, Alex Forbes are well trained to know when a storm is severe and potentially has a tornado in the elemental makeup of the storm.  These  meteorologists should be able to warn people especially if the  NWS has not issued a watch or warning.  Also, those severe weather trained meteorologists on the Weather Channel should be allowed to issue a statement if they see a tornado or other severe elements in the storm.  Folks this is the 21st century and weather forecasting is in its juvenile stages  to what is coming.  But the NWS has the best equipment available to meteorologists.  The local EMA in Henry County is not at fault in this issue.  If the residents want to make a fuss they need to make it towards the right entity and that is the NWS and they are governed by the Federal Government.  Below is a rundown on the type of radar equipment they have at the NWS facility in Peachtree City.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the NWS WSR-88D

 

How does the radar work?

Is every thing I see on the images an accurate picture of my weather?

What are the different types of radar images?

How often are the images updated?

What is Clear Air Mode?

What is Precipitation Mode?

What do the colors mean in the reflectivity products?

What is the difference between base and composite reflectivity?

What is UTC Time?

Introduction to the WSR-88D

The WSR-88D is one of the most powerful and advanced Weather Surveillance Doppler Radar in the world. Since first being built and tested in 1988, it has been installed and used operationally at over 160 locations across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. The WSR-88D has also been installed in Puerto Rico and several islands in the Pacific. The NWS Northern Indiana radar began warning operations on March 17th, 1998.

The WSR-88D is considered by many to be the most powerful radar in the world, transmitting at 750,000 watts (an average light bulb is only 75 watts)! This power enables a beam of energy generated by the radar to travel long distances, and detect many kinds of weather phenomena. It also allows energy to continue past an initial shower or thunderstorm near the radar, thus seeing additional storms farther away. Many other radar systems do not have this kind of power, nor can they look at more than one "slice" of the atmosphere. During severe weather, the NWS WSR-88D is looking at 14 different elevations every 5 minutes, generating a radar image of each elevation. That's about  3 elevations per minute, or one radar image every 20 seconds! What other operational weather radar can do that??

How does the radar work?

The WSR-88D obtains weather information (precipitation and wind) based upon returned energy generated and received at the Radar Data Aquisition (RDA) unit (see animated diagram below). The radar emits a burst of energy (green), from a 28 foot diameter antenna inside the radome (the white, soccer ball covering). If the energy strikes any object (rain drop, snow, hail, bug, bird, dust, etc), the energy is scattered in all directions (blue). A small fraction of that scattered energy is directed back toward the radar.

The reflected signal is then received by the same antenna that sent the signal, during its listening period. This signal is then sent to a computer system located in a small building at the base of the radome. These computers analyze the strength of the returned pulse, time it took to travel to the object and back, and phase shift of the pulse. This process of emitting a signal, listening for any returned signal, then emitting the next signal, takes place very fast, up to around 1300 times each second.

 

The WSR-88D spends the vast amount of time "listening" for returning signals it sent. When the time of all the pulses each hour are totaled (the time the radar is actually transmitting), the radar is "on" for about 7 seconds each hour. The remaining 59 minutes and 53 seconds are spent listening for any returned signals.

 

The ability to detect the "shift in the phase" of the pulse of energy makes the WSR-88D a Doppler radar. The phase of the returning signal typically changes based upon the motion of the raindrops (or bugs, dust, etc.). This Doppler effect was named after the Austrian physicist, Christian Doppler, who discovered it. You have most likely experienced the "Doppler effect" around trains. As a train passes your location, you may have noticed the pitch in the train's whistle changing from high to low. As the train approaches, the sound waves that make up the whistle are compressed making the pitch higher than if the train was stationary. Likewise, as the train moves away from you, the sound waves are stretched, lowering the pitch of the whistle. The faster the train moves, the greater the change in the whistle's pitch as it passes your location.

 

The same effect takes place in the atmosphere as a pulse of energy from the radar strikes an object and is reflected back toward the radar. The radar's computers measure the phase change of the reflected pulse of energy which then convert that change to a velocity of the object, either toward or from the radar. Information on the movement of objects either toward or away from the radar can be used to estimate the speed of the wind. This ability to "see" the wind is what enables the National Weather Service to detect the formation of tornadoes which, in turn, allows us to issue tornado warnings with more advanced notice.

Is everything I see on the images an accurate picture of my weather? 

Weather surveillance radars such as the WSR-88D can detect most precipitation within approximately 80 nautical miles (nm) of the radar, and intense rain or snow within approximately 140 nm. However, light rain, light snow, or drizzle from shallow cloud weather systems are not necessarily detected.

 

Echoes from surface targets appear in almost all radar reflectivity images. In the immediate area of the radar, "ground clutter" generally appears within a radius of 20 nm. This appears as a roughly circular region with echoes that show little spatial continuity. It results from radio energy reflected back to the radar from outside the central radar beam, from the earth's surface or buildings.

 

Under highly stable atmospheric conditions (typically on calm, clear nights), the radar beam can be refracted almost directly into the ground at some distance from the radar, resulting in an area of intense-looking echoes. This "anomalous propagation" phenomenon (commonly known as AP) is much less common than ground clutter. Certain sites situated at low elevations on coastlines regularly detect "sea return", a phenomenon similar to ground clutter except that the echoes come from ocean waves.

 

Returns from aerial targets are also rather common. Echoes from migrating birds regularly appear during nighttime and early morning hours between late February and late May, and again from August through early November. Return from insects is sometimes apparent during July and August. The apparent intensity and areal coverage of these features is partly dependent on radio propagation conditions, but they usually appear within 30 nm of the radar and produce reflectivities of <30 dBZ (decibels of Z).

 

However, during the peaks of the bird migration seasons, in April and early September, extensive areas of the south-central U.S. may be covered by such echoes. The WSR-88D is also able to detect sunrise and sunset. As the sun sets and rises on the horizon, solar radiation becomes concentrated, and the 88D picks this up as an intense and narrow area of reflectivity. Finally, aircraft often appear as "point targets" far from the radar, particularly in composite reflectivity images.

 

The radar is also limited close in by its inability to scan directly overhead. Therefore, close the radar, data are not available due to the radar's maximum tilt elevation of 19.5°. This area is commonly referred to as the radar's "Cone of Silence".

 

Though surface echoes appear in the base and composite reflectivity images, special automated error checking generally removes their effects from precipitation accumulation products. The national reflectivity mosaic product is also automatically edited to detect and remove most non-precipitation features. Even with limited experience, users of unedited products can differentiate precipitation from other echoes, if they are aware of the general meteorological situation.

 

What are the different types of radar images?

Base Reflectivity

This is a display of echo intensity (reflectivity) measured in dBZ (decibels of Z, where Z represents the energy reflected back to the radar). "Reflectivity" is the amount of transmitted power returned to the radar receiver. Base Reflectivity images are available at several different elevation angles (tilts) of the antenna and are used to detect precipitation, evaluate storm structure, locate atmospheric boundaries and determine hail potential.

The base reflectivity image currently available on this website is from the lowest "tilt" angle (0.5°). This means the radar's antenna is tilted 0.5° above the horizon.

The maximum range of the "short range" (S Rng) base reflectivity product is 124 nm (about 143 miles) from the radar location. This view will not display echoes that are more distant than 124 nm, even though precipitation may be occurring at greater distances. To determine if precipitation is occurring at greater distances, select the "long range" (L Rng) view (out to 248 nm/286 mi), select an adjacent radar, or link to the National Reflectivity Mosaic.

 

Composite Reflectivity

This display is of maximum echo intensity (reflectivity) from any elevation angle at every range from the radar. This product is used to reveal the highest reflectivity in all echoes. When compared with Base Reflectivity, the Composite Reflectivity can reveal important storm structure features and intensity trends of storms.

The maximum range of the "long range" (L Rng) composite reflectivity product is 248 nm (about 286 miles) from the radar location. The "blocky" appearance of this product is due to its lower spatial resolution on a 2.2 * 2.2 nm grid. It has one-fourth the resolution of the Base Reflectivity and one-half the resolution of the Precipitation products.

Although the Composite Reflectivity product is able to display maximum echo intensities 248 nm from the radar, the beam of the radar at this distance is at a very high altitude in the atmosphere. Thus, only the most intense convective storms and tropical systems will be detected at the longer distances.

Because of this fact, special care must be taken interpreting this product. While the radar image may not indicate precipitation it's quite possible that the radar beam is overshooting precipitation at lower levels, especially at greater distances. To determine if precipitation is occurring at greater distances link to an adjacent radar or link to the National Reflectivity Mosaic.

For a higher resolution (1.1 * 1.1 nm grid) composite reflectivity image, select the short range (S Rng) view. The image is less "blocky" as compared to the long range image. However, the maximum range is reduced to 124 nm (about 143 miles) from the radar location.

 

One-hour Precipitation

This is an image of estimated one-hour precipitation accumulation on a 1.1 nm by 1 degree grid. This product is used to assess rainfall intensities for Flash Flood Warnings, Urban Flood Statements and Special Weather Statements. The maximum range of this product is 124 nm (about 143 miles) from the radar location. This product will not display accumulated precipitation more distant than 124 nm, even though precipitation may be occurring at greater distances. To determine accumulated precipitation at greater distances you should link to an adjacent radar.

 

Storm Total Precipitation

This image is of estimated accumulated rainfall, continuously updated, since the last one-hour break in precipitation. This product is used to locate flood potential over urban or rural areas, estimate total basin runoff and provide rainfall accumulations for the duration of the event.

The maximum range of this product is 124 nm (about 143 miles) from the radar location. This product will not display accumulated precipitation more distant than 124 nm, even though precipitation may be occurring at greater distances. To determine accumulated precipitation at greater distances link to an adjacent radar.

How often are the images updated? 

Image updates are based upon the operation mode of the radar at the time the image is generated. The WSR-88D Doppler radar is operated in one of two modes -- clear air mode or precipitation mode. In clear air mode, images you see are updated every 10 minutes. In precipitation mode, images you see are updated every five or six minutes. The collection of radar data, repeated at regular time intervals, is referred to as a volume scan. Meteorologists at the NWS have access to many more products than those available on the internet. Our warning meteorologists are looking at new products continuously, and at several different levels in the atmosphere.

In this mode, the radar is actually in its most sensitive operation. This mode has the slowest antenna rotation rate which permits the radar to sample a given volume of the atmosphere longer. This increased sampling increases the radar's sensitivity and ability to detect smaller objects in the atmosphere than in precipitation mode. A lot of what you will see in clear air mode will be airborne dust and particulate matter. Also, snow does not reflect energy sent from the radar very well. Therefore, clear air mode will often be used for the detection of light snow.

 

The radar continuously scans the atmosphere by completing volume coverage patterns (VCP). A VCP consists of the radar making several 360° scans of the atmosphere, sampling a set of increasing elevation angles. There are two clear mode VCPs.

 

In clear air mode, the radar begins a volume scan at the 0.5° elevation angle (i.e., the radar antenna is angled 0.5° above the ground). Once it makes two full sweeps (a surveillance/reflectivity sweep and a Doppler/velocity sweep) at the 0.5° elevation angle, it increases to 1.5° and makes two more 360° rotations. For one of the clear air mode VCPs, two full sweeps are also made at 2.5°. Otherwise, at the higher elevations (2.5°, 3.5°, and 4.5°) a single sweep is made (reflectivity and velocity data are collected together).

 

This process is repeated at 2.5°, 3.5°, and 4.5°. Then the radar returns to the 0.5° elevation angle to begin the next volume scan which will repeat the same sequence of elevation angles. In clear air mode, the complete scan of the atmosphere takes about 10 minutes at 5 different elevation angles.

 

When precipitation is occurring, the radar does not need to be as sensitive as in clear air mode as rain provides plenty of returning signals. At the same time, meteorologists want to see higher in the atmosphere when precipitation is occurring to analyze the vertical structure of the storms. This is when the meteorologists switch the radar to precipitation mode using one of two volume coverage patterns.

 

Both precipitation VCP's begin like the clear air mode mentioned above with the same evaluations scans as in the clear air mode. The difference is the radar continues looking higher in the atmosphere, up to 19.5° to complete the volume scan. The time it takes to complete the entire volume scan is also less. In the slower VCP, the radar completes the volume scan of nine different elevations in six minutes. In the faster VCP, the radar completes 14 different elevation scans in five minutes.

Differences in the quality of radar images between the two precipitation mode VCPs are relatively minor. Therefore, during severe weather, the faster VCP is almost always used as it provides the meteorologists with the quickest updates and most elevation slices through the storms.

 

In summary, when the radar is in clear air mode, radar images on the internet will be updated approximately every ten minutes. In precipitation mode, the updates will occur around five to six minutes apart.

 

What do the colors mean in the reflectivity products?

The colors are the different echo intensities (reflectivity) measured in dBZ (decibels of Z) during each elevation scan. "Reflectivity" is the amount of transmitted power returned to the radar receiver. Reflectivity (designated by the letter Z) covers a wide range of signals (from very weak to very strong). So, a more convenient number for calculations and comparison, a decibel (or logarithmic) scale (dBZ), is used.

 

The dBZ values increase as the strength of the signal returned to the radar increases. Each reflectivity image you see includes one of two color scales. One scale (far left) represents dBZ values when the radar is in clear air mode (dBZ values from -28 to +28). The other scale (near left) represents dBZ values when the radar is in precipitation mode (dBZ values from 5 to 75). Notice the color on each scale remains the same in both operational modes, only the values change. The value of the dBZ depends upon the mode the radar is in at the time the image was created.

 

The scale of dBZ values is also related to the intensity of rainfall. Typically, light rain is occurring when the dBZ value reaches 20. The higher the dBZ, the stronger the rainrate. Depending on the type of weather occurring and the area of the U.S., forecasters use a set of rainrates which are associated to the dBZ values. These values are estimates of the rainfall per hour, updated each volume scan, with rainfall accumulated over time. Hail is a good reflector of energy and will return very high dBZ values. Since hail can cause the rainfall estimates to be higher than what is actually occurring, steps are taken to prevent these high dBZ values from being converted to rainfall.

What is the difference between base and composite reflectivity?

 

The main difference is composite reflectivity shows the highest dBZ (strongest reflected energy) at all elevation scans, not just the reflected energy at a single elevation scan. This can be seen in the images below from the Salt Lake City radar.

 

 

Base Reflectivity

 

Composite Reflectivity

Notice the additional reflectivity that is visible in the composite reflectivity (far right). It is most readily seen around the name 'Wendover'. Also notice the composite view displays a slightly larger area of heavy rain (orange-red area to the west of Wendover).

 

Why the difference? Base reflectivity only shows reflected energy at a single elevation scan of the radar. Composite reflectivity displays the highest reflectivity of ALL elevations scans. So, if heavier precipitation is higher in the atmosphere over an area of lighter precipitation (the heavier rain that has yet to reach the ground), the composite reflectivity image will display the stronger dBZ level.

 

This occurs often with severe thunderstorms. The updraft, which feeds the thunderstorm with moist air, is strong enough to keep a large amount of water aloft. Once the updraft can no longer support the weight of suspended water then the rain intensity at the surface increases as the rain falls from the cloud.

I hope this explains  how severe weather reports get out to the citizens.  NWS to local EMA, television, and radio. 

DR Mike Moon PhD

Climatical Physics

Henry County has A Problem!!!

 

Henry County has A Problem!!!

Henry County has many problems, from a lack of infrastructure and maintenance to crime. But we have another problem you may not be aware of that can cost a lot of Henry County citizens to lose their lives and the lives of loved ones. After a survey of all the tornado sirens in the county, it is blatantly obvious that Henry County has been negligent in the placement and number of sirens throughout the county. Now we know that people will say the sirens are for people who are outside. This is a lie and a misnomer. People will say that they have their cellphones to get notified of bad weather, this is dangerous. In very bad storms, cell towers can and do go down, and cannot notify you of bad weather. The two very good ways of being informed of bad storms are, one, good siren coverage in the county, and two is to have a weather alert radio that can wake you up from sleep. In fact, it should be mandatory that all residents must have a weather radio in their homes provided by the builder. Now let’s look at the sirens we have in the county and see what kind of coverage they offer in the county.

This first photo shows the placement of the sirens in the County, as you can see they lack the coverage that is needed, you can see the gaps.

As you can see from the photo below this area of Henry County has a very large gap of coverage of the County's tornado siren system. This area is along Highway 138 Highway 42 East of Stockbridge approximately 3 to 4 miles. Many of the communities here are of Mobile Home Design and newer neighborhoods that have been built. A lack of warning during a tornado could be very deadly and costly to not only the citizens but to the county as well.

This photo below could be considered one of the most dangerous areas for not having tornado siren coverage. This area is just North of Stockbridge and does not cover the Stockbridge High School. That's right the school where your children are taught are unprotected by tornado sirens.

The next photo below covers a wide area of Southeastern Henry County the Ola area to be more specific as you can see from the map the north Ola Park is not covered which is just adjacent to the Ola High School and Middle School that are not covered by the tornado sirens of Henry County. This area has seen tremendous growth and development over the years and yet Henry County has not updated or expanded the tornado sirens to help cover and to protect its citizens in this area. 

The last photo below will show you just how the county has not thought clearly or logically about the placement of their tornado sirens. You can see three sirens and their sound waves there are overlapping; it appears two of the sirens are about a mile or less apart. This area is in the Kelly Town area around Knight Road. This area also has had a lot of growth in recent years and is unprotected. The citizens are at very grave risk in this area.

 So as you can see, Henry County has been very negligent in protecting the citizens from severe weather and tornadoes by not placing enough and correcting their tornado siren system. I would urge everyone to contact the County Commissioners and talk to them about your concerns about the lack of doing the right thing to protect the citizens again. I must reiterate tornado sirens or for everyone, not just if you are outside. We must insist that Henry County do the right thing and protect citizens by upgrading and installing more tornado sirens so that we may be protected during severe weather seasons. We have already had tornadoes increasing in Henry County as of late, and we have received a lot of damage, and citizens have been injured and killed by these tornadoes. As we move forward, storms will be getting more violent and unpredictable. As the County continues to have uncontrollable growth with clear-cutting trees and building houses, this has a tremendous effect on the weather in our County. We will be covering this in another blog post to come up soon, but in the meantime, please contact the Henry County Commissioners to voice your concerns, and please get yourself a NOAA weather alert radio.

Blog Staff

Alfred Britt

Mike Moon Ph.D.

Mr. Tim Coley

Mr. Tim Coley was born in 1961 and passed away in 2023.  Tim was always an enthusiastic and hard-working gentleman.  He started working for the Henry County Parks and Recreation under Charles Bledsoe when Tim was still in High School.  Tim worked in the afternoons after school.  Mr. Bledsoe saw a future in Tim and told him to go and get his degree after High School and then work his way up.  So, Tim took his advice and got his education and went to work for various communities as their Parks and Recreation Director learning his craft.  After Mr. Bledsoe left Tim returned to Henry County to serve as the director of Parks and Rec for almost 30 years before retiring in December 2022  from failing health.  Tim was a man who always gave 110% of himself to see that a project or program succeeded and worked correctly.  He helped to bring programs to the Veterans Wall of Honor by putting the right people in place to have the events on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.   Tim was a man that people loved to work with and they would give their best because he treated them well.  Tim was a true legend in Henry County sporting events because he made them work so well.  He didn't mind getting his hands dirty to make things right for events.  Tim loved his family and friends and he will definitely be missed by so many.  

Staff.

Once Again Henry County Has Not Learned

Once Again Henry County Has Not Learned. 

For 21 years Henry County has been doing it wrong and cannot get it right. The first years after September 11th attacks on us Henry County would have a memorial service out in the middle of a state route near an intersection of an interstate in front of a Walmart. Just how stupid is this, what sane parent is going to bring their children to learn about the attacks on us and to remember the victims in the middle of a road.  We at this blog had brought it to the attention of the county on multiple occasions that Heritage Park would be a more suitable place for the services near the veterans memorial wall would be even better although the county has other plans for Heritage Park. But that fell on deaf ears, or deaf and dumb ears, however you would like to put it. 

This year the Henry County of Commissioners held a small and I mean small service in front of the administration building on September 9th, not the 11th the day of the attacks and to make it worse they did not even invite the public it was as if it was an impromptu In the Heat of the Moment thing. There were just a few County workers from the fire department. They read a proclamation and that was how pitiful it was.  Then, it gets even better in the Henry Herald Newspaper as they had a small write-up about it with pictures and said it was done on September 11th and yet on the County's web page on Facebook it shows that they posted it on the 9th when they actually did it.

It seems Henry County does not know what it is doing due to the fact that they cannot even lie well. Please note the photo of one of these speakers on the 9th, when we had cloudy and Stormy Weather if you remember, on September 11th we had clear skies. Here you cannot lie and change the weather.

They have been caught not only lying, but doing a substandard memorial service that a lot of people including people that lost loved ones at this blog do not like seeing being done. It is a shame and injustice to those who lost their lives on that morning.  It all goes to show and prove that the voters of Henry County need to do a better job at voting.  Remember you vote in trash you will get trash. 

The Blog Staff.