COUNTY LIFE
Make it a safe boating holiday weekend
SPRINGFIELD, Va. September 1, 2020 – For the nation’s 12 million boat owners, Labor Day weekend is the last blast, with many enjoying the end-of-summer boating ritual with family and friends aboard, according to Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS). The national advocacy, services and safety group cautions, however, that boating traffic and complacency could be safety concerns.
BoatUS’s nationwide on-water towing fleet, TowBoatUS, forecasts an increase in number of boaters on the water this three-day Labor Day holiday period. “Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day are the 1-2-3 peak boating weekends of the year in terms of the volume of requests from boaters needing towing assistance services,” said BoatUS Vice President of Towing Services John Condon. “This gives us a fair barometer of boating traffic. However, social distancing guidelines from COVID-19 and the subsequent increase in boat sales already has led our fleet to respond to an average of 20% more calls than last summer. This Labor Day holiday, all bets are off. If the weather holds, that number will likely go up.”
BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water Director of Boating Safety Ted Sensenbrenner says, “At this time of year complacency can set in. You’ve had a safe boating season up to now, but don’t let your guard down just yet.” Sensenbrenner offers these end-of-summer boating safety tips:
- Do you know where your flares are, or did you bury them under the inner tube in the back lazarette?
- Are life jackets serviceable, or has the dog eaten one? Have you periodically inspected any inflatable life jackets?
- Is your throwable (Type IV) personal floatation device still at the helm within easy reach, or did a guest hide it in the back under the stern seat?
- Are all of your navigation lights still working?
- Have you checked your U.S. Coast Guard Local Notice for Mariners lately to see if anything has changed, such as recent storms affecting navigation or infrastructure work?
- Over the course of the summer, have your boat trailer’s safety chains accidentally dragged on the pavement leaving them compromised? Are brake lights still operable?
- Want to learn more about boating safety? Take a free online boating safety course from the Foundation at BoatUS.org/Free.
In recognition of National Adoption Awareness Month this November, Texas Community Counseling and the Heart Gallery of Northwest Texas are partnering to bring resources to Montague County families.
The two organizations will host an adoption, foster care and kinship care resource fair on Nov. 14 at the United Presbyterian Church of Montague County Fellowship Hall, located at 300 W. Nelson St. in Bowie.
The resource fair will run from 10 a.m. to noon, bringing together local agencies and service providers to answer questions and share information about support available within the county.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
Members of the Montague County Historical Commission invite the community to join them on Nov. 14 for a Rolling Bus Tour.
This tour will cover the cemeteries in the south west corner of Montague County. You will have the opportunity to stroll through some of the cemeteries, others the bus will stop and Commission member Calvin Durham will tell the history of the cemetery.
The bus tour will meet at the Old Jail in Montague at 9 a.m. and return at approximately 3 p.m. The tour will include a sack lunch, a brochure of each cemetery visited and a book “This Soil will Grow Grapes” written by Melvin Fenoglio.
The cost of the tour is $20 for adults. There is no charge for children under 12. The commission members strive to preserve the history of the county and to share as much of it as possible with our citizens. You can RSVP by calling 940-841-2674 or 940-872-1007. Please leave a message with your name if there is no answer.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System at 1:20 p.m. on Nov. 17.
FEMA’s emergency alert system is a national public warning system made up of thousands of radio, TV, cable and satellite and wireline video providers. Through the EAS, the President can address the American people or share life-saving information with the public during a national emergency.
FEMA is required by law to conduct a nationwide test of the public alert and warning system at least once every three years. These tests allow FEMA to identify technical or operational issues before the system is needed during an actual emergency.
FEMA and the FCC are sharing the test date in advance because it is important the public understands what to expect on the day of the test.
At approximately 1:20 p.m. (Central time), on Nov. 17, all the electronics providers will interrupt normal programming to relay a test message.
This message will state: This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency management Agency, covering the United States from 1:20 to 1:50 p.m. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
When the test is concluded, normal programming will resume.
FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with stakeholders, including participating communications providers as well as federal, state, tribal and territorial agencies to prepare for and conduct the test.
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