2017-9-25

GREENSVILLE/EMPORIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

LOCAL BOARD MEETING

The Greensville/Emporia Department of Social Services Administrative Board will meet on Thursday, October 18, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Greensville/Emporia Department of Social Services located at 1748 East Atlantic Street. The public is welcome to attend.

Community Counseling Offered After Shots Fired at Carnival

“After the events that shook our town last night it was decided that something has to be done to help those affected directly or indirectly from the chaos at the carnival.”

Keith Prince has reached out to our community and our religious leaders to help get this last minute event arranged and get word out to the public.

On Monday, September 25 (TOMORROW NIGHT) Victory Fellowship, located in front of the Emporia Municipal Building has opened its doors to the community. At 7pm, Caroline Gatten who is a local counselor will be on hand to help those that were traumatized with the shooting that unfolded.

Parents, please bring your children to this so that she can help. Ms. Gatten is volunteering her time because she cares about this community and what is going on in it. Law Enforcement will be on hand to assist in any way possible. EVERYONE is welcome and EVERYONE is encouraged to take part in this. We as parents sometimes don't realize what's going through our children's busy minds so this will help.

”I was not working last night but I did respond to my Church where I saw members of my congregation hunkered down as if we live in a third world county and this is totally unacceptable! Children were seen running and screaming from the scene and this is also totally unacceptable!”

Mr. Prince is urging everyone to spread the word and invites anyone that wishes to attend.

If you have any information about the incident at the carnival, please call the Emporia Police Department at (434)634-2121 ext 6 or remain anonymous and call the Crime Line at (343)634-1111

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Mandatory Nationwide Test of the Emergency Alert System to be Conducted on September 27, 2017

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a mandatory nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on September 27, 2017 at 2:20 pm EDT. The test will assess the readiness for distribution of the national level test message, as well as verify its delivery.

The EAS test is made available to radio, television, cable, and direct broadcast satellite systems, and is scheduled to last approximately one minute. The test’s message will be similar to the regular monthly test message of the EAS with which the public is familiar, only inserting the word “national.” “This is a national test of the Emergency Alert System. This is only a test.”

Significant coordination and regional testing has been conducted with the broadcast community and emergency managers in preparation for this EAS national test. The test is intended to ensure public safety officials have the methods and systems that will deliver urgent alerts and warnings to the public in times of an emergency or disaster. Periodic testing of public alert and warning systems is also a way to assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure required for the distribution of a national message and determine whether technological improvements are needed.

Conducting the test following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose, and Maria will provide insight into the resiliency of our national-level alerting capabilities in impacted areas. The test will also provide valuable data into how the Integrated Public Alerts and Warning System (IPAWS) performs during and following a variety of conditions. With two major hurricanes already making landfall, and a potential for two more impacting our nation, we need to have the ability to maintain the continuity of critical infrastructure under various conditions.

Receiving preparedness tips and timely information about weather conditions or other emergency events can make all the difference in knowing when to take action to be safe. FEMA and our partners are working to ensure alerts and warnings are received quickly through several different technologies, no matter whether an individual is at home, at school, at work, or out in the community. The FEMA App, which can be downloaded on both Android and Apple devices, is one way to ensure receipt of both preparedness tips and weather alerts. The FEMA App can be downloaded at www.fema.gov/mobile-app.

The back-up date for the test is October 4, 2017, at 2:20 pm EDT, in case the September 27 test is cancelled. More information on the IPAWS and Wireless Emergency Alerts is available at www.ready.gov/alerts. You can also access a video, FEMA Accessible Emergency Alert System IPAWS Test Message, in American Sign Language.

This is the third mandatory nationwide test of the EAS. The first test was conducted in November 2011 in collaboration with the FCC, broadcasters, and emergency management officials. The second mandatory test was conducted in September 2016.

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Moses Archie Clements

Into eternal rest, Moses Archie Clements, on September 23, 2017. A lifelong resident of West Purdy, VA, Moses graduated in 1971 from Brunswick Academy and was named a Merit’s Who’s Who Scholar. He attended Virginia Tech and graduated from the School of Engineering in 1977. While at Tech, he worked for the agricultural engineering department and was a founding member of the National Chapter of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.

Moses was the son of the late local farmers Archie B. and Ida Conner Clements, and from 1977-1989, he returned home and operated the Clements family farm in Purdy. He was named Farmer of the Year in 1983 by the J. R. Horsley Water and Soil Conservation Organization. Like his father before him, Moses was an an excellent farmer who shared the bounty of his large garden, especially his excellent watermelons, with countless friends and neighbors. He accepted employment with Greensville County in 1989, eventually rising to become the assistant director of the Water and Sewer Authority, where he oversaw many projects that raised the standard of living for county residents.

Mr. Clements is survived by his beloved wife of 41 years, Debra; his sons Robert Archie Clements and wife Trista, and Adam Decker Clements and wife Michele; and by five granddaughters: Sumer, Cora, Alyce, Anna, and Caroline. He is also survived by his sister, Connie Ellison and husband Andrew, and two nieces, Jean Prince Ellison and Stephane Dene Satterwhite, and two nephews, James Moses Ellison and William Asa Rowland. As well, he leaves behind numerous faithful and loving cousins, inlaws, and friends. The support and love of his community and friends sustained Moses and his family during his inevitably unwinnable battle with ALS.

Moses Clements held strong convictions on the importance of education. He served for many years as the treasurer and chairman of the Scholarship Committee for the Greensville/Roanoke Rapids Tech Alumni Chapter. Numerous recipients of the award, as well as many other college students, received regular notes and small monetary gifts from Moses during their years in college, along with the admonishments to: “Do us proud!”, “Study hard!” and “Get that degree!” The Scholarship was renamed by the organization in July in honor of Mr. Clements. As well, the Southside Virginia LandSharks Parrot Head Club, of which Moses was a founding and very active member, dedicated the Moses Archie Clements Memorial Scholarship in June, to be given annually to a local student who will be attending Tech. Moses Clements loved life, and enjoyed being in three places above all others: cheering on his beloved Hokies in Lane Stadium, singing along with Jimmy Buffett at concerts, and watching the sun set over the water at his “Metal Mansion” at Lake Gaston. All of these were enjoyed more when he was with the many friends he held near and dear. He was one of life’s true givers. The friends, family members, and complete strangers who benefitted from his acts of kindness are innumerable. His only desire in the giving of his time, talents, and money was that the recipient “pay it forward”, spreading kindness to others.

The family will receive friends 6-8 p.m. Monday, September 25 at Owen Funeral Home, 303 S. Halifax Rd, Jarratt, Virginia where the funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday, September 26. Interment will follow at Emporia Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, Mr. Clements requested donations to Purdy Baptist Church, where he was a lifelong member, and long time deacon, the ALS Foundation, or one of the scholarship funds mentioned above. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.owenfh.com.

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