One Alabama weatherman's crusade to improve tornado safety
On-air, meteorologist James Spann dispenses vital information about the weather. Off-air, he holds frequent seminars to educate the public about storms.
from the March 11, 2008 edition
Page 2 of 3
It can make a long day even more grueling. Spann, a lover of numbers and a stickler for details, wakes up at precisely 4:52 a.m. and often returns home at midnight after speaking at schools, uploading weather videos, writing blog updates, providing forecasts for 25 radio stations nationwide, conducting three local broadcasts, and teaching evening storm seminars. He's energetic on air, even when exhausted.
"I don't think weather should ever be boring," he says. "I owe people that."
Tonight, he's conducting a seminar for a crowd of 600 at Bethel Baptist Church in Moody, Ala., outside Birmingham. Ten years ago, the church was leveled by a tornado. Spann's goal is more than telling people when they'll need an umbrella. He hopes to foster awareness of storm safety, eliminating habits like too much dependence on warning sirens or television.
"Tornadoes can happen in the middle of the night and times when the TV is off or folks are watching cable or satellite channels," he says. "All I can do is keep preaching the message: Get a NOAA weather radio receiver in every home, business, and church in the state."
But TV coverage does have its place. Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for NOAA, says sophisticated computer models and National Weather Service warnings are critical, but local meteorologists offer a familiar face that government entities can't provide. "They can build rapport and have a positive influence on how the community receives critical weather information and appropriately reacts," he says.
Jay Prater, chairman of the broadcast committee for the American Meteorological Society, believes this is a big part of Spann's success – his tireless work and incessant tutoring about severe weather. "Twenty years ago, TV was different," says Mr. Prater. "You had time to do different things. Now there's so much you have to do, yet Spann seems to find the time."
At Bethel Baptist tonight, there's no doubt Spann and his team are popular. Fans arrive two hours early, hoping for autographs. Eight-year-olds collect bio sheets like baseball cards. Spann takes it in stride, but admits it makes him uncomfortable. "I'm pretty low-key," he says. "I never took a class in TV or radio, never had the fluff, never looked like a 'TV guy.' Young reporters now are out to make a name for themselves, but they're not the story; it's the people."
Interns say he drives this point home by taking them to the heart of Americana – the local Wal-Mart. Spann watches how the would-be meteorologists talk with people and compares it with their on-air performance. The best meteorologists, he says, aren't coming out of college with telegenic smiles. The best are real people telling a story to other real people.
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