I wanted to say thank you again to all the followers of The_Weather_Vane and provide you with an update regarding our voluntary news media operations.
Background:
The blog and the Facebook page was founded in 2011 based on my obsession with weather, science and photography. I started posting publicly based on my personal experience with a dangerous tropical event that I went through when I lived in South America. When I lived down there I found out the hard way that the local news did not have an effective way to issuing a warnings about impending severe weather. This is why when I moved back to the states I started to watch weather events in the U.S and see how the News handled issuing warnings. I thought that being in a more developed country would automatically mean superior access to news. Then I started a blog and wrote regularly and took photos. Originally I was not able to set up a proper weather station to provide direct data. (more about this later). I have been trying to point out that, how informed is the general public when it comes to severe weather and being prepared. Here are some statistics that I put together. The United States has about 280 million internet users. This does not show how many people are reading the news 24/7 and would be informed if a severe weather event is unfolding. We also have to see how we can communicate to a portion of the elderly where they may not be computer literate.
When I started writing I was in a small apartment in Horsham PA where I had several issues where I could not set up much other then a NOAA weather alert radio and a wireless thermometer. I am grateful that I had cheap rent, decent educational opportunities and the convenience of being close to work and family.
Here is a typical picture taken from my balcony. I took this pic back in March of 2013 which was a late snowfall day.
After meeting my wife a few years ago we patiently planned to see where we could move to provide us with more space. We have finally and thankfully had the opportunity to purchase a home. The good thing is that the News operations of The_Weather_Vane will stay in Montgomery County. We will be moving from Horsham to Collegeville PA. I know this move is more of a personal decision and may not appear to be one that was to improve blog and my ability to issue weather news (that is really what the experts are out there really for). I am a dedicated weather enthusiast and a volunteer storm spotter. I do not issue my own forecasts however I can help by being a social media manager and with this ability I can help the public by spreading the news to more eyes than professional sources that more often then not ignored. This is because of peoples perception of priorities. Ask the average teenager about what the weather forecast is for tomorrow and they would probably shrug their shoulders. This is sad because I have checked and found that most people that follow me online are over the age of 35. My work with issuing weather and other information using Social Media might just grab the attention of a few people and help the public. I spoke to a few experts and some of them did not see that communication via smartphones and social media is the best way. I disagree because we have to consider that a big portion of our public is not looking for weather alerts. How else do we get their attention if we try to post a small important message on a cell phone or on FB, etc.?
In the last year I have been focusing more in providing weather alerts on social media rather then posting stories on the blog. I hope to start writing again soon and I apologize for the lack of stories.
So now that we are moving I may be able to finally set up a weather station and be able to take more pictures. Collegeville has a long history of flooding just like the Pennypack creek area between Horsham and Northeast Philly. I will use the move as an opportunity to reorganize and update the blog and to find new areas in Montgomery County to report about.
I want to thank Kari, my wife for her support and patience and Len Martelli who is a good friend and a great Real Estate Agent.
Thank you,
Pat Saavedra
Social Media Manager
The_Weather_Vane
