Civil Defense

Roanoke Civil Defense Drill

5/9/1959

Roanoke civil defense units participate in a statewide drill. Exercises include city fire engines and rescue services departing for Norfolk, Va.; city government officeholders evacuating to Blacksburg, Va., in police cars; and regional schoolboys boarding buses to Washington D.C., where they march in the annual Schoolboy Safety Patrol Parade.

Anchor Script

Anchor script text: (Start film) Actually, here in Roanoke, it was a day of departures from City Hall and the leave-takings attracted a goodly amount of interest. (SHOW FILM) A special caravan containing the Roanoke Civil Defense contingent left from Norfolk from in front of the Municipal Building. Seven vehicles made up the calvacade. The rescue units reached Norfolk about 3 this afternoon to assist the theoretically-stricken City. Besides the communication division, rescue and utility vehicles accompanied the other units, which also contained newsmen from Roanoke. Deputy Roanoke Coordinator C. E. Cuddy - who heads the group - says the Roanoke units are self-sustaining. OPTICAL. FILM COPY Shortly after the Civil Defense Units left, key persons in the City government were rounded up for an evacuation trip to Blacksburg. Those that couldn't be found right away were considered casualties. City Councilman Mrs. Mary Pickett, City Councilman Willis Anderson, Delegates Kossen Gregory and Julian Rutherford, junior, City Auditor Harry Yates and City Treasurer Johnny Johnson were herded into several long black cars and driven to Blacksburg. The evacuaees made out pretty well in that college town. They were luncheon guests of President Walter Newman of VPI. Roanoke also activied a rescue units on the lawn at City Hall. OPTICAL

Civil Air Patrol Demonstates Attack Warning

5/18/1959

A small airplane flies over Roanoke County farmland in a Civil Air Patrol demonstration of a new means of alerting citizens to imminent attack.

Anchor Script

Anchor script text: What's believed to be the nation's first airborne air raid alert system will be tested in Roanoke County Sunday morning, May 22nd. (start Film) Charles E. Via, Jr, Civil Defense Coordinator for Roanoke County, announced details of the new system last night. (show film) Cameramen John Gilbert got first films of the new idea, and Captain Irving E. Craig of the Civil Air Patrol explained the system for us. At the time of a real alert, a pilot would be standing by with a light plane equipped with sirens. It's hoped this method will give County residents warning of any impending air attack. (SOUND UP) Captain Craig also gave our WSLS camerman a ride in the specially equipped plane. Via, who conceived the idea says it's simple, cheap and should work. The sirens are high-powered. This Sunday morning the CAP will fly over a specified area of checkpoints in the county with the sirens sounding full blast. Civil observers will be stationed at each checkpoint to judge the effectiveness of the signal from the ground. Among the observers may be several top-ranking officials of the State Civil Defense Administration. If the aerial siren warning system works it may solve a vital defense problem for rural areas far from big cities. The County CD Director says that Roanoke, like many other areas throughout Virginia and the United States is a support area. County citizens will have to be alerted in case of an attack on Roanoke city. He said the county will have to be ready to take care of evacuees and casualties and that's why a good warning system is needed. Via praised the Civil Air Patrol for its eagerness to cooperate in the warning system test. He says the CAP members are equally confident the system will work. If the test proves satisfactory Sunday, it's expected that sirens will be made available to other Roanoke Civil Air Patrol aircraft. Via pointed out that in an actual air raid, a fleet of planes could alert the whole county in less than 15 minutes.

The Space Race

3/24/1965

Roanoke citizens watch the first manned Gemini flight into space at a bank of televisions in a department store.

Anchor Script

Anchor script text: (ROLL FILM) Residents of Roanoke and Southwest Virginia joined the rest of the Nation and World today (TAKE FILM) in witnessing the flight of the Molly Brown by means of television and radio. Although there was great deal of attention given the astronauts flight, it was not the compelling attention that saw large crowds of persons focus their complete attention on the TV screen for the duration of previous flights. Several persons were heard to observe they were glad the Gemini flight pushed the Selma, Alabama racial story out of the headlines for a while. The interest in today's flight indicates that this nation's orderly succession of space achievements are now viewed as routine and predictable......at least by the average public. (LIVE ON)