After a broadcast tower went down in Wichita Falls, TX, due to vandalism (see Inside Towers December 21 issue), volunteers have been quick to step up, reports TexomasHomePage.com. In December, the 440-foot broadcast tower collapsed after vandals cut the structure’s supporting wires. Along with the interruption of the broadcasts, weather monitoring equipment was lost as well. With the help of the community, the Wichita Falls Area Foundation is hoping to raise $9,000 before March when the influx of bad weather keeps the weather spotters especially busy.
Volunteer weather spotters have relied on the towers to relay information on dangerous weather patterns moving across the region using equipment which has, partially, been in place since 1972.
“A lot of times we’ll go out to a certain spot. But we are always on the move. When the storms move, we move with them. And sometimes another storm will form,” said volunteer storm spotter, Danny Caldwell. “On a cell phone you can’t do that without disconnecting and [reconnecting]. And we just have a microphone that we hold in our hand and we can talk.”
Praising townsfolk who have responded to the call for donations, Wichita County Storm Spotter Coordinator Charlie Byars, said, “There are good people here in town. They know who we are and they know what we do. And what we are trying to do is get the information to them on how they can help us through a tax-deductible donation.”
Anyone with information on the vandalism is encouraged to contact the Wichita Falls Police Department at 940-761-7792. To contribute to the equipment fund, click here.
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