An appreciative audience "oohed" and "ahhed" while images of severe weather flashed on the screen. ...more

July 24, 2008

Hurricane Hanna, with winds packing 150 mph, was veering straight toward the Tampa Bay area. ...more

July 23, 2008

In conjunction with Highlands County Emergency Management, the National Weather Service is offering weather spotter training classes on Wednesday, July 23 at the Emergency Operations Center. ...more

July 15, 2008

SEBRING - Several Highlands County Sheriff's Office dispatchers were moved out of their second-story room in the Sheriff's Office building Tuesday evening after "an odor of smoke" began circulating around the room, Sebring Fire Chief Brad Batz said. Batz said a smoke alarm went off in the Sheriff's Office radio room as a burning electric odor spread from a utility room through the air conditioning and into the dispatcher's room. Despite the severe storm and reports of six other alarms caused by the storm in Sebring, he said he could not determine what set off the alarm. No fire or burned equipment was found. ...more

July 10, 2008

When a magnitude 8 earthquake rocked China's Sichuan province on May 12, Gary Mentro's sister-in-law worried about friends back home. ...more

June 30, 2008

Thousands of ham radio operators are showing their emergency capabilities this weekend. ...more

June 28, 2008

Four weeks ago County Administrator David Hamilton ordered a do-over after software problems disrupted a mock hurricane drill. ...more

June 28, 2008

COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AT EASE ...more

June 27, 2008

Thousands of ham radio operators will show their emergency capabilities this weekend. ...more

June 27, 2008

SEBRING — Wednesday's emergency preparedness drill at the Agri-Civic Center was only practice, but almost 200 volunteers and county employees acted like the mock exercise was real. Andrew Pease, a Sun 'n' Lake Elementary School student, gave up a day of summer break to volunteer and portray a "victim," along with his mother Mary and sister Becky. The 9-year-old took the drill to heart and said he was "a little scared." "My mom tells me to not talk to strangers, but I trust the police and others," said Andrew Pease. "This is like some kind of play, but it's real, too." ...more

June 19, 2008