Three things for September 14
1. Hurricane Nicholas downgraded to tropical storm
The National Weather Center downgraded Hurricane Nicholas to a tropical storm, but the threat of damaging winds and torrential rain remains in effect.
Nicholas first made landfall in East Texas as a Category 1 hurricane at 1:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, with sustained wind speeds of 75 mpg. While Nicholas has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, it can still produce sustained wind speeds of 60 mph.
A dangerous storm surge is anticipated along the Gulf Coast with the threat of six to 10 inches of rain with an isolated chance of up to 18 inches of rain.
On Monday, Governor of Texas Greg Abbot issued an emergency declaration stating that residents should be prepared for a “substantial water event.”
This storm system could produce severe weather and tornadic events across the South in the coming days.
2. Tennessee holds most new COVID-19 cases per capita
Last week, Tennessee ranked at the top of the COVID-19 charts with the most new cases of COVID-19 per capita in the U.S.
According to the New York Times data compiled based on “7-Day Case Rate per 100,000,” Tennessee leads with the highest number of new infections per 100 thousand residents during the last two weeks.
“Tennessee averaged over 8,300 new infections each day over the last seven days and has confirmed a total of 1.15 million cases since the pandemic began, as of Monday,” reports the Tennessean. “The coronavirus has killed 14,010 — or about 1 out of every 500 — Tennesseans and is averaging 41 new deaths per day for the past seven days.”
A Tennessee National Guard spokesperson confirmed 30 National Guard members arrived at Erlanger Hospital on Sept. 2 to "assist with non-clinical duties and provide relief to our associates during the latest surge of COVID-19 cases in our region.”
3. Film Friendsy competition to be held Sept. 24 through 27
The annual 48-hour Film Friendsy, hosted by Lee University’s cinema department, will take place from September 24 to 27.
The event is open to all students no matter their year or major. Teams of students will design a five-minute film that includes a prop, line of dialogue and genre that is specified at the kick-off party at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24.
All submissions need to be completed by Sunday, Sept. 26, at 5 p.m., and the films will be viewed and judged at the awards party on Monday, Sept. 27, at 8 p.m. in the Communication Arts Building’s screening room.
Spots for the event are limited to 32 students. To sign up, view Lee University's Cinema webpage.
