Reviewing the news: A call to World War I veterans and severe weather awareness
April 4, 1924: Be patriotic urges Legion
A call to every veteran of the World war to aid in this year’s plans for Memorial Day, and to vote in the primaries of April 7, was issued today by Alfred A. Anderson, commander of Carl O. Weaver Post of the American Legion.
“These are twin duties,” said the Legion officials. “There is too much of a tendency nowadays for citizens to neglect the duties of the ballot box, and to forget or ignore those holidays of a patriotic nature which all of us once respected.
“The American Legion has this suggestion: Let every citizen who has recently felt shocked at the news from Washington hie himself to the ballot box on April 7 and express by vote who he considers is best suited to the occasion. Let every man who does not perform this civic duty remain forever silent, no matter what happens in our government.
“Our belief is that Memorial Day this year should be observed with more solemnity and dignity. It is now five years since most of the veterans of the World war came marching home. Their memories of the great struggle are mellowing with time. They are more and more proud of having taken part in this most gigantic of all struggles. The old war-weariness and distaste for everything connected with military life is disappearing.
“It should not be forgotten either that more and more of our comrades have gone to answer that final roll call. In the whole nation 250,000 of them have gone. Their memory must never be forgotten. We ask every veteran of the World war to co-operate with those venerable men of ’61 and with the Spanish-American war, and to begin planning thus early to make the day a lesson in patriotism.”
April 4, 1974: What do you do in case a tornado heads your way
(Note: This story ran following a tornado outbreak on April 3, 1974 killed over 300 in 10 states)
The fire sirens roar.
It’s a tornado! What do I do next?
With the nasty weather the area has been having recently, a lot of people have been asking themselves just what to do in case of a tornado.
According to both Emmet and Charlevoix County Civil Defense Directors, the question isn’t too difficult to answer.
First of all, tornado conditions are announced by the U.S Weather Service through the Michigan State Police who in turn have the county sheriff departments contact schools, public buildings, industries and a variety of locations.
This is usually done by telephone and fire sirens are blown if there is one in the community.
At the same time, the message is sent across both the radio and television stations. Usually alerts first come in the form of a weather watch which warns people to be prepared for an emergency because a tornado may be coming.
Then if it becomes an emergency, residents are advised to take shelter and stay tuned to either their radio or television stations.
If you’re in a house, the best location to take shelter is in the southwest corner of your basement as long as it is not located near a window.
But if there isn’t a basement, the next best place is a well protected room in the middle of the house that might have pipes running through it, such as a utility room.
Even then it is advisable to stay underneath a table.
If you’re caught outside, then it’s best to lay down in a ditch or in a gully attempting to stay at a right angle from the tornado.
Tornadoes generally come between 3 and 7 p.m. and are most likely to come from the southwest.
Their path is on the average of 300 feet in width and is usually four miles long with winds reaching up to 300 miles an hour.
The average speed of travel is between 25 and 40 miles an hour.
“The main thing is for people to have a plan,” says John Lewinski, Emmet County’s Civil Defense Director.
“You should discuss with your family what you would do in the case of a tornado.”
He suggests that each family analyze shelter possibilities around the home.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Reviewing the news: A call to World War I veterans and severe weather awareness
