March 9, 2018

A local storm spotter group is asking for the community's help in purchasing vital radio equipment. The Poplar Bluff Severe Weather Response Team needs to raise $3,500 to upgrade an antennae that allows members to communicate across Butler County during potentially dangerous weather events, said director Craig Meador...

A local storm spotter group is asking for the community's help in purchasing vital radio equipment.

The Poplar Bluff Severe Weather Response Team needs to raise $3,500 to upgrade an antennae that allows members to communicate across Butler County during potentially dangerous weather events, said director Craig Meador.

A fundraiser is being held until April 27 through the sale of 3-pound Boston butts. Tickets are $25 and can be redeemed at the Deep Freeze until Feb. 27, 2019.

Storm spotters receive no financial assistance from any government agency, Meador said. The organization is run through volunteer time and contributions.

The radio tower currently used by the team provides limited service to the northern part of the county, said assistant director Steve Seawright.

This creates problems when relaying important safety information to storm spotters about their own danger in the field during severe weather, and in getting information back from the members.

Money would be used to install a second antenna at another tower, Seawright said.

Information collected by storm spotters can be essential to decisions made by the National Weather Service regarding the issuance of warnings and watches, according to Butler County Emergency Management Agency Director Robbie Myers.

Butler County is the farthest western point served by the Paducah, Ky., location of the NWS.

"Storm spotters are our eyes and ears when storms come in," Myers said. "Our community is safer because of all the time they donate."

The radar used by the NWS is surveying the sky at 5,000 feet by the time it reaches the Butler County area, Meador said.

Tornadoes typically occur at about 500 feet, he said.

"Therefore, they (the NWS) depends on my guys, their eyes actually observing not only what they see in the sky, but the winds and all the conditions associated with a tornado," Meador said.

Butler County storm spotters were last sent out Feb. 24, the night an EF-2 tornado touched down in Malden, Mo., and killed one person in Northeast Arkansas.

"The exact same storm that hit Malden, bounced through Northeast Arkansas and scraped the bottom of our county," Meador said. "It hopscotched."

The team has about 25 members, all of which are certified as elite storm spotters by the NWS.

Each member purchases his or her own equipment, uses a personal vehicle and pays for any other needs associated with storm spotting.

Tickets for this fundraiser can be purchased by contacting Meador at 573-718-4218, or talking to Jim Hager at AutoCenters Poplar Bluff on North Westwood Boulevard.

A PayPal donation link can also be found on the group's Facebook page, Poplar Bluff Severe Weather Response Team.

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