In the life of a student reporter, I am CONSTANTLY, and I mean CONSTANTLY, covering events that are in the Gainesville, Ocala, Alachua County, Marion County, etc area. But this week, instead of focusing on an event for this post, I decided to go outside of my comfort zone... I covered the weather.
When it comes to weather, I have 0% background, knowledge or interest in the topic. The thought of becoming a meteorologist is the last thing on my mind. But when it comes to news, however, I am all over it. For me, covering and reporting on the news just seems natural.
But this week in the newsroom on campus, I was assigned to cover weather damage that happened in Gainesville earlier in the week. We had severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings causing damage that almost mimicked what we saw during Hurricane Irma, but on a smaller scale.
One of the people I interviewed with regards to the weather damage in the Gainesville area was John Shaw, the Emergency Management Director for Alachua County.
When talking to John, the main thing he stressed was that residents in the Alachua County area should sign up for the AlertAlachua system. This push notification system sends residents direct messages and warnings of severe weather we might experience in the area. He said that if more residents were aware or signed up for the program, it could've actually prevented most of the damage we saw due to the severe thunderstorms that roll into our area.
Here is a soundbite of John talking about the AlertAlachua system.
Another person I talked to was Sarah Barnes from Gainesville Regional Utilities. Sarah had said that over 2,000 people had lost power during the severe storms. Much like John, she said there are ways people can prevent much of the damage that did happen. One of those ways is to clean up any loose debris in and/or around one's yard. This can help prevent power lines or poles from being hit during a storm, which could potentially cause residents to lose power.
Here is a soundbite from Sarah about debris control.
At the end of the shift, although I was tired, smelly and wet from being out in the rain all day, I learned a lot about weather and have a newfound appreciation for what meteorologists do across the world. While this was such a great learning experience, I think I will stick to covering local news in the area. But, I do encourage others to try something new this week. Going out of your comfort zone will help turn you into a well-rounded individual and make you more appealing to employers.
When it comes to weather, I have 0% background, knowledge or interest in the topic. The thought of becoming a meteorologist is the last thing on my mind. But when it comes to news, however, I am all over it. For me, covering and reporting on the news just seems natural.
But this week in the newsroom on campus, I was assigned to cover weather damage that happened in Gainesville earlier in the week. We had severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings causing damage that almost mimicked what we saw during Hurricane Irma, but on a smaller scale.
One of the people I interviewed with regards to the weather damage in the Gainesville area was John Shaw, the Emergency Management Director for Alachua County.
When talking to John, the main thing he stressed was that residents in the Alachua County area should sign up for the AlertAlachua system. This push notification system sends residents direct messages and warnings of severe weather we might experience in the area. He said that if more residents were aware or signed up for the program, it could've actually prevented most of the damage we saw due to the severe thunderstorms that roll into our area.
Here is a soundbite of John talking about the AlertAlachua system.
Another person I talked to was Sarah Barnes from Gainesville Regional Utilities. Sarah had said that over 2,000 people had lost power during the severe storms. Much like John, she said there are ways people can prevent much of the damage that did happen. One of those ways is to clean up any loose debris in and/or around one's yard. This can help prevent power lines or poles from being hit during a storm, which could potentially cause residents to lose power.
Here is a soundbite from Sarah about debris control.
At the end of the shift, although I was tired, smelly and wet from being out in the rain all day, I learned a lot about weather and have a newfound appreciation for what meteorologists do across the world. While this was such a great learning experience, I think I will stick to covering local news in the area. But, I do encourage others to try something new this week. Going out of your comfort zone will help turn you into a well-rounded individual and make you more appealing to employers.
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