Here are a few shots from yesterday. ABC 33/40 was awarded a Mark Trail Award for our work in promoting NOAA Weather Radio. The keynote speaker was Rep. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana (he is the one speaking in the first picture); a former sheriff. Ellsworth oversaw rescue and recovery operations for days following an EF3 tornado that killed 25 people on Nov. 6, 2005 in Evansville. Twenty of the fatalities occurred at the Eastbrook Trailer Park. The weather service field office in Paducah, Ky., issued excellent tornado warnings well before the storm slammed the park, but few heard the warning because it roared through around 2:00 a.m.
Late Wednesday of this week Ellsworth introduced a bill that mirrors state legislation dubbed “C.J.’s Law” that sailed through this year’s General Assembly in Indiana. It requires all mobile homes installed after June 30 come equipped with NOAA Weather Radio receivers. The bill was co-sponsored by Alabama Representative Spencer Bachus.
Another Mark Trail Award winner was Kathryn Martin, the mother of C.J. Martin, the two year old that was killed in the Evansville tornado in November 2005. You can see Kathryn and her husband John in the group shot, along with my long time friend Rich Thomas of WSFA-TV in Montgomery, another award winner, and Rep. Spencer Bachus, who is extremely supportive of the entire severe weather warning process.
Most of the day was spent with the award winners, but we did slip away to Arlington National Cemetery late in the day. A very moving experience.
