Editorial Roundup: Tennessee
Kingsport Times News. February 29, 2024.
Editorial: Spring fire season is underway in Tennessee, Virginia
Reporting on severe drought conditions in the region last November, we passed along a request from the Tennessee Forestry Service to avoid burning anything outside while the fire risk is high.
The National Weather Service also issued a warning of an “elevated fire risk” to most of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia due to breezy conditions and low relative humidity.
We’ve months to go before this year’s fall fire season begins around Oct. 15, when leaves begin to fall. But in fact, there are two fire seasons, and the spring season — prompted by warming weather — just began with nine wildfires reported in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee recently.
The largest was a 500-acre fire in the Moore Hollow area near the Blackwood section of Lee County, said Brian Ledford, Virginia state forester for the region. Lee County Sheriff Gary Parsons said a barn was reported destroyed by the fire, although no homes have been damaged or anyone injured.
Ledford said a cause has not been determined for the Moore Hollow blaze, although dry grass across the region and the recent thaw have helped wildfires spread.
Two more fires were reported in Lee County, a blaze west of the Moore Hollow fire and another along Jasper Road west of U.S. Route 23 and east of Dryden. A 175-acre blaze was reported along Upper Possum Creek Road between the Flat Rock and Kermit areas, and an 8-acre fire north of Duffield was reported contained then removed from the active fire list.
You may view the nation’s active fire and smoke map at fire.airnow.gov. A more local Tennessee fire and smoke map is available here: tn.firesponse.com/public.
Virginia’s late-winter 4 p.m. burn law became effective Feb. 15 and continues through April 30. The law prohibits outdoor burning outside of the 4 p.m.-to-midnight period each day, and violators can be charged with a misdemeanor. If an illegal fire causes property damage, the violator can be liable for that damage. Localities may have additional burn restrictions in effect.
There are currently no fire regulations in force in Tennessee. The State Forestry Service provides current information on Tennessee’s reported wildfires, and the public map enlarges to show every current fire in the state, as well as the size, percent contained and even how many firefighters are involved.
Similarly, a map of Virginia’s wildfires may be found at virginiapublic.firesponse.com.
“If you smoke, dispose of your butts appropriately. Don’t just throw things down and let it smolder out. This is a time to be careful, pay attention and use common sense. If we used 100% common sense, we’d reduce our fires drastically,” said a forestry official.
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Johnson City Press. March 1, 2024.
Editorial: Know what to do when severe weather hits
It’s National Severe Weather Awareness Week, and it seems the jet stream is aware.
This week, 44 million people in the eastern U.S. saw storms and gusting wind thanks to a powerful cold front that barreled through.
The transition to spring is normally a time for tumultuous weather. As the saying goes, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.
In the next few weeks, we’ll probably see a lot of rain and a few thunderstorms, some of them severe, so it’s important to know what to do to keep you and your family safe.
Thunderstorms can produce sky-to-ground lightning, high winds and heavy rains. That’s why it’s important to keep abreast of the latest weather alerts.
Lightning may strike an isolated tree or an object in the open. It may strike many miles from the parent storm. In an average year, lightning will claim more victims than tornadoes or hurricanes.
Damaging winds from severe thunderstorms are also much more frequent than tornadoes in our region. Straight-line winds can reach more than 100 mph, and often leave paths of destruction in their wake.
Severe thunderstorms are why every Tennessean should be drilled on what to do during a tornado and other extreme weather events. When a tornado warning is issued, residents should immediately seek shelter in the lowest level of a permanent structure (a mobile home or car will not suffice).
If a cellar or basement is not available, go to a closet or another interior room. Experts say it’s best to put as many walls between you and the outside as possible.
Again, preparation is key to surviving a tornado and other dangerous weather situations. Knowing what to do and where to go is essential. Those who live in mobile homes should plan to take shelter in a family member or friend’s house during a tornado warning.
Never, we repeat, never drive over a road or bridge that is covered by flood waters.
Seems like a no-brainer, right?
But law enforcement officials say you’d be surprised at how many drivers find themselves trapped in their cars (or worse) during heavy rains.
More Americans are killed annually from flooding than from any other weather-related disaster, which is why emergency officials say motorists should never drive through flooded areas.
Weather officials say most flood deaths occur at night and when people become trapped in automobiles that stall on flooded roads. Flash floods are the deadliest because they can happen in a short period of time — generally less than six hours.
Areas of Northeast Tennessee are most susceptible to flash flooding because of mountain streams and rivers. If the National Weather Service issues a flood watch, residents living in the affected area should check flood action plans, keep informed and be ready to evacuate if a warning is issued or flooding is observed.
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