The UA Meteorological Society arrived in tornado-damaged Clay-Trussville to help the American Red Cross perform damage assessment and shelter operations.
“We’ve brought water bottles and tarps,” Patrick Reilly, president of the group, said.
For residents with damaged roofs, the tarps will come in handy during the next big rain event. The destruction and width of the tornadoes were less significant than that of April 27, but Clay-Trussville and the surrounding area still suffered heavy damage.
“Currently, we’ve seen a lot of damage to businesses,” Christopher Amalfitano, vice-president of the group, said. “It might be months until those businesses can reopen.”
The UAMS has 20 active members, and the National Weather Service and Community Emergency Response Team certified most of its members. Reilly and Amalfitano founded UAMS on April 10, 2011 for students who are passionate about weather and serving the community.
“Patrick and I were talking about weather outside of Paty Hall one day, and that’s where it began,” Amalfitano said.
“I was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, so I’ve been dealing with tornadoes my whole life,” Reilly said. “I remember the Dec. 26, 2000 tornado and helping people pick up parts of their lives that were in ruins.”
During severe weather, the UAMS deploys trained weather-chasers to track storms and tornadoes. The group was among the first responders on April 27. The UAMS has saved lives and helped rebuild communities, its members report.
Although juggling the role of volunteer and student is often difficult for Reilly and the other members, it’s a job well worth it.
“We never do this for recognition,” he said.
The group does receive support and thanks from the 150 members on its mailing list. UAMS sends out severe weather alerts to those who have signed up to receive them, and the students are thankful for the information and timeliness of the alerts.
“Our alerts go more in-depth than UA news,” Amalfitano said. “We try not to cover the same information.”
“We’ve actually sent an alert before the University one time,” said Reilly.
UAMS also provides advice tips to hunters. Reilly calculates animal activity on several factors such as temperature and solunar hunting tables. Using his advice, hunters can pick the best times to hunt for fish, deer and other wildlife.
“I’m a hunter myself,” Reilly said. “It’s an estimate and not an exact science, so you still might not find anything.”
For more information, contact the group at [email protected]
