- Jefferson County installs a new WeatherStem system at Wacissa River for enhanced storm tracking.
- The system provides real-time weather data.
- Watch the video to find out when the new system will be available online.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Adding Another Layer of Storm Protection
“Our main focus is the residents of this county and community."
I’m Lentheus Chaney, in Wacissa, speaking with emergency officials about how this upgrade could make a big difference.
When severe weather strikes, every second counts. That’s why Jefferson County just installed a new weather tracking system at the Wacissa River.
Six months ago, Hurricane Helene hit the Big Bend. Back then, Jefferson County only had one working WeatherSTEM system to track storms. Director of Jefferson County Emergency Operations Center Kristy Anderson says that wasn’t enough. Now, they’re expanding to five systems across the county, including this latest one at Wacissa River.
“We can go online now and see the data, like wind speed. We’ll have one system at Wacissa River that will tell us the river levels. It will tell us the temperature. I mean, it’s live, so you can even see a picture of what’s going on,” Anderson said.
The WeatherSTEM system gives real-time data, lightning alerts, wind speed, and live weather updates. It’s not just for first responders—anyone can check the info online or through the WeatherSTEM app to stay ahead of the storm.
Neighbors Matthew McCollum and his wife, Ashley, lost their home when Hurricane Helene hit. Six months later, Matthew says they’re still trying to recover and get back on their feet.
“We had that gut instinct to leave, which I’m glad we did. We had two trees come down—one in the bedroom, which would have killed us, and one right in the living room,” Matthew said.
Right now, WeatherSTEM systems are active at Aucilla Christian Academy, the Jefferson County EOC, Jefferson-Lloyd, and Jefferson K-12. The new Wacissa River system will go live Thursday morning.
Matthew says if he had known about WeatherSTEM, it might have given his family more time to gather their belongings before the storm hit.
“Everything happens for a reason. You know, we’re lucky to be alive. There are some people who had it worse.”
Anderson says this is just one more step to keep Jefferson County prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws our way. Neighbors can view the WeatherSTEM system at https://jefferson.weatherstem.com.
In Wacissa, Lentheus Chaney, ABC27.
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