Storm spotters get better view of approaching storms with camera donation

Just in time for the spring storm season, the Poplar Bluff Severe Weather Response Team has a new weapon in its arsenal to protect the citizens of Butler County.

For the last several months, the team has been testing an internet-enabled camera, which will help them see approaching storms from a better vantage point.

“The Severe Weather Response team has always wanted a camera to see what storms are coming in,” said Butler County Emergency Management Agency Director Robbie Myers, who works hand-in-hand with the volunteer organization.

Poplar Bluff Severe Weather Response Team Director Craig Meador, Butler County EMS co-owners Scott Preslar and Dina Rhodes, Butler County Emergency Management Agency Director Robbie Myers and a host of staff are pictured after Butler County EMS provided funding for a new weather camera system. DAR/Paul Davis

The camera, he said, is set up at Heartland Express, near the intersection of Highway 67 South and Highway M.

“They were able to get the technology, and Butler County EMS has provided the funding to make it a reality,” Myers said.

Scott Preslar, owner of Butler County EMS, said the decision to help was a no brainer.

“It’s a public safety feature for the county and surrounding area that lets us know what’s coming into Poplar Bluff,” Preslar said. “We were happy to sponsor it, and I think it’s a win-win for everybody.”

Butler County EMS co-owner Dina Rhodes agreed, saying SWRT Director Craig Meador “initially approached us, and we jumped on board with no hesitation because we want to serve the community.”

The response team, Meador said, “decided we wanted a weather camera or two, and now we have our first one.”

The team has spent “the last year and a half on this project, trying to figure out camera placement and get sponsors,” added SWRT member Steve Seawright.

Besides Butler County EMS, other sponsors of the camera and its infrastructure, Meador said, include Southeast Signs and Graphics, Midwest Security, Bits & Bytes Technologies, Element Wireless and Heartland Express. Poplar Bliff Poloce Deputy Chief Mike McClain also played a vital role.

The camera, Meador noted, provides a live feed through an internet connection directly to the team’s office, but it also is streamed 24 hours daily to the team’s Facebook page and YouTube page so anyone can see it.

Besides the live view, which can be changed by team personnel to see any direction, the streaming feed also shows the current temperature and wind speed.

A live audio feed of scanner traffic also is included in the stream.

“It includes all of our local scanner traffic, except for when we’re activated for storms,” Meador said. “When we’re activated, the audio feed is locked on the storm spotters.”

The system already has become popular with viewers, and in the first few months of testing, Meador said, the camera feed has been viewed more than 130,000 times.