McCord Bend’s Updated Early Warning System
October 1, 2020
Jonathan Weeks
After making do without a proper warning system for close to 20 years, the Village of McCord Bend residents, locally known as “Benders,” has finally received a sorely needed update. The village has recently been granted a brand new severe storm early warning system. Its installation’s success was announced by a sudden pulsating wail that emitted from the large, yellow cluster of sirens and blasted its way through the air over the quiet village Saturday afternoon. The jarring sound arrived much to the delight of many “Benders,” and the village breathed a collective sigh of relief.
A storm warning siren is not something a community in this geographical location should be without. According to Mandi Carr, chairman of the village’s board of trustees, McCord Bend is located a basin surrounded by a bluff on one side and a mountain on the other. That geography, which limits cell service, can interfere with radio transmission and limit the town’s access to a reliable internet connection.
Motivated by these factors, says Mandi, the USDA supplied a sizeable grant that was matched by a second grant given by the Table Rock Lake Community Foundation to purchase this much-needed piece of equipment. Cruz Newberry, the vendor who sourced the siren system, stated that “McCord Bend will be the most prepared community in Stone County as far as weather alerting goes.” “I can tell you this has been a very exciting and rewarding venture,” said Carr about her pursuit of the granting process, “I am a retired RN; caring for people is what I do.”
Most Benders will tell you they are grateful to have the added layer of protection provided by the weather warning system, combined with the 150 personal weather radios provided by the grant money. I don’t think I’ll ever hear a pulse wail coming from a tornado siren the same way again. Looking at the shiny, state of the art system today, it becomes difficult to imagine these folks having to struggle with the hand-crank operated, archaic siren it replaces that ceased to function nearly 20 years ago.
After making do without a proper warning system for close to 20 years, the Village of McCord Bend residents, locally known as “Benders,” has finally received a sorely needed update. The village has recently been granted a brand new severe storm early warning system. Its installation’s success was announced by a sudden pulsating wail that emitted from the large, yellow cluster of sirens and blasted its way through the air over the quiet village Saturday afternoon. The jarring sound arrived much to the delight of many “Benders,” and the village breathed a collective sigh of relief.
A storm warning siren is not something a community in this geographical location should be without. According to Mandi Carr, chairman of the village’s board of trustees, McCord Bend is located a basin surrounded by a bluff on one side and a mountain on the other. That geography, which limits cell service, can interfere with radio transmission and limit the town’s access to a reliable internet connection.
Motivated by these factors, says Mandi, the USDA supplied a sizeable grant that was matched by a second grant given by the Table Rock Lake Community Foundation to purchase this much-needed piece of equipment. Cruz Newberry, the vendor who sourced the siren system, stated that “McCord Bend will be the most prepared community in Stone County as far as weather alerting goes.” “I can tell you this has been a very exciting and rewarding venture,” said Carr about her pursuit of the granting process, “I am a retired RN; caring for people is what I do.”
Most Benders will tell you they are grateful to have the added layer of protection provided by the weather warning system, combined with the 150 personal weather radios provided by the grant money. I don’t think I’ll ever hear a pulse wail coming from a tornado siren the same way again. Looking at the shiny, state of the art system today, it becomes difficult to imagine these folks having to struggle with the hand-crank operated, archaic siren it replaces that ceased to function nearly 20 years ago.