Fall is here: Mother Nature, election information
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Food for Thought
Judge of Probate Richard Dean
The U.S. recently experienced multiple devastating hurricanes. My prayers go out to all those who suffered loss of loved ones, suffered damage and/or had their lives turned upside down.
The recovery is going to take years. Not only was there wind damage, the water damage and flooding were horrific.
There were many people from Coosa County who provided (some still providing) funds, goods and labor to provide disaster relief to the hurricane victims. My heartfelt appreciation to all, and God bless you.
Due to these hurricanes hitting the U.S. in such a short time and seeing the damage on television, my curiosity was stirred. I decided to do a little research. NOT to look at climate change or be political, just to get some information and satisfy my curiosity.
I went to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website. I discovered they did not start keeping hurricane-related records until 1851. I spent about three hours clicking on links to see more details. The more I clicked, the more I learned. Below is a NOAA chart listing hurricanes by decade and by categories since 1851:
| Decade | Saffir-Simpson Category | All | Major | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1,2,3,4,5 | 3,4,5 | |
| 1851-1860 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 6 |
| 1861-1870 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| 1871-1880 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 7 |
| 1881-1890 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 4 |
| 1891-1900 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 8 |
| 1901-1910 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| 1911-1920 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 7 |
| 1921-1930 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 5 |
| 1931-1940 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 5 |
| 1941-1950 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 10 |
| 1951-1960 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 6 |
| 1961-1970 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 6 |
| 1971-1980 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 |
| 1981-1990 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 5 |
| 1991-2000 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 5 |
| 2001-2010 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 7 |
| 2011-2020 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 4 |
| 2021-2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
This NOAA table had the following note: “The number and intensities of U.S. hurricane[s] is underestimated here before 1901 because of the sparsely populated U.S. coastline, particularly along part of Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. How[e]ver, the values are likely complete and accurate from 1901 onward.”
Go to www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/landsea/deadly to see more data. Moving on to a more pleasant aspect of nature.
We are in my favorite time of year. The weather is cooling, the golden rods and other fall weeds/flowers are blooming, leaves are falling (although that means work), and birds are migrating. I have noticed the dogwood berries are turning red and the beauty berries are loaded with deep purple berries. Soon the trees and shrubs will be in full color. In my opinion, this is when nature’s canvas is at its best.
People are planting their winter gardens and green fields. That means freshly turned soil and the fragrant aromas that come from it. The air even smells fresher. There is a whole science that explains why the soil smells as it does and why the air smells fresher in the fall. However, for me I don’t have to understand the science, I just enjoy the experience. God is Great.
Now, from pleasant thoughts to another topic that causes all kinds of emotions in our citizens, the upcoming election. I can’t write a column this close to election day without writing something about the election.
First, Polling Official Training will occur on October 24 at 5:30 p.m. with sign-ins beginning at 5. This training is open to anyone who wants to attend and observe, but the purpose and focus are to train our polling officials and educate the media and candidates.
Second is the testing of election tabulating and AutoMARK machines. The tabulating machine is self-explanatory. The AutoMARK is a ballot marking machine that provides privacy and accessibility to voters who are blind, vision-impaired, or have a disability or condition that makes it difficult or impossible to mark a ballot. In addition, it provides language assistance to voters who are more comfortable speaking an alternative language or who have reading difficulties. The AutoMARK ballot marking machine is also equipped for Sip-N-Puff and paddle devices to assist voters with hand dexterity challenges.
Third, “The Coosa County News” has two official notices regarding the election in this edition. Please read these notices.
Fourth, a day I am looking for, November 12, 2024. That is the day the canvassing boards across the state meet at noon to count any provisional ballots certified by the boards of registrars. These meetings are open to the public.
In Coosa County, as a minimum, the canvassing board members, provisional polling officials, Democratic and Republican Party representatives, and the media all meet in the Coosa County courthouse. All Provisional Ballot envelopes are opened to remove the secrecy envelopes and stack them to be counted. Then each secrecy envelope is opened, and each ballot is tabulated.
The party officials verify accuracy of the tabulation. The canvassing board then processes the final tally, produces the “official” results and certifies the election. The judge of probate will report the “official” results and forward the certification to the secretary of state.
Finally, the moment I am looking for arrives. We (Pam, Beth and I) box up and seal the provisional election materials, record the official results in the probate records and deliver the last election items to the sheriff for secure storage.
Our federal, state and local governments spend a lot of time, money and other resources to conduct elections. These resources are your tax dollars at work. You pay whether you vote or not. Therefore, you should be voting if you are legally eligible to do so. If you are eligible to vote and do not, you are not only wasting your money, but you should also not complain about the election results.
As always, I hope to see you casting your vote! Until next month, stay safe, God bless; and GO VOTE ON NOVEMBER 5.
