For the last 5 to 6 months, Political Reporter Josh Hinkle and I have covered the 82nd Legislative Session.  We have filed many stories together, but I want to highlight one story in particular.  Over this past Memorial Day weekend, while I was spending a much needed 3 day weekend with my beautiful wife and family, Josh spent his holiday weekend at the State Capitol. On Saturday, the members of the Legislature met together on the House floor, to honor the lives lost within the past 2 years in Texas.  Josh shot, wrote and edited this story which shows that it was indeed a special day for all those inside the chamber as well.

There have been so many incredible stories coming out of the recent onslaught of tornadoes, you may have missed this one.

On April 27th, in the small town of  Cordova, Alabama, an EF-3 tornado hit the town at 5:30 in the morning, doing damage, but sparing lives.  However, at 5:30 that afternoon, an EF-4 tornado hit the same town, killing four people, and destroying much of the city.

Now, people whose homes were destroyed are not being allowed to live in temporary housing provided by FEMA because of city rules banning mobile  homes–unless it’s a double-wide.  No joke.

The remarkable story from the Associated Press is below.

(AP Photo above: Jack Scott/Cordova, AL Mayor)

CORDOVA, Ala. (AP) – James Ruston’s house was knocked off its foundation by tornadoes that barreled through town last month and is still uninhabitable. He thought help had finally arrived when a truck pulled up to his property with a mobile home from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Then he got the call: Single-wide mobile homes, like the FEMA one, are illegal in the city of Cordova.

The city’s refusal to let homeless residents occupy temporary housing provided by FEMA has sparked outrage in this central Alabama town of 2,000, with angry citizens filling a meeting last week and circulating petitions to remove the man many blame for the decision, Mayor Jack Scott.

Ruston and many others view the city’s decision as heartless, a sign that leaders don’t care that some people are barely surviving in the rubble of a blue-collar town. (more…)

We are officially only a  day into the Atlantic hurricane season and we are already looking to the tropics for a little on the satellite beginning to fire up.   It’s not the biggest chance of development ever at only 30%,  but seeing as how it has been upgraded to a medium chance since just this morning it’s an interesting way to start off the season.

The first name on the list will be Arlene, followed by Bret, Cindy, Don and Emily.

This isn’t the first time we have turned to the topics this year. A system located several hundred miles south of Bermuda, formed on Wednesday, April 20th of this year well before the start of the season.

Our warm temperatures could be just the fuel that’s needed to make the season an active one.  Having said that, this may not be the worst thing in the world for us.  Right now we REALLY need a tropical system to put a dent in this drought.  Sooo should there be a tropical system, we could benefit.   It’s a strange little dance we do with Ma Nature isn’t it?  But it’s clear that she does all of the leading.  Here is the latest from the National Hurricane Center this morning……..

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
800 AM EDT WED JUN 1 2011

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

1. A SMALL AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED ABOUT 200 MILES EAST OF
JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA IS MOVING WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD AT AROUND 20 MPH. 
THE LOW CONTINUES TO PRODUCE A CONCENTRATED AREA OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS...AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE MARGINALLY
FAVORABLE FOR SOME DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM BEFORE IT MOVES OVER
NORTHERN FLORIDA LATER TODAY.  REGARDLESS OF DEVELOPMENT...THIS
DISTURBANCE COULD PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG GUSTY
WINDS OVER PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA.  THERE IS A MEDIUM
CHANCE...30 PERCENT...OF THIS SYSTEM BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE
DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.  FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS
SYSTEM...PLEASE SEE PRODUCTS FROM YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE. 

ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.

TODAY MARKS THE FIRST DAY OF THE ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON...WHICH
WILL RUN UNTIL NOVEMBER 30.  LONG-TERM AVERAGES FOR THE NUMBER OF
NAMED STORMS...HURRICANES...AND MAJOR HURRICANES ARE 11...6...AND
2...RESPECTIVELY.

It’s likely to be an active season.  I hope you and your family are prepared for it.  Visit our severe weather guide for great tips on getting ready for the worst.

Stay well hydrated and if you will be outside for long periods make sure to keep the sunscreen handy. Today a high of 97 and an overnight low of 74.  Then tomorrow will  be very similar as well still hot and humid and a high in the upper 90′s.

–Met. Rhonda Lee