KDSN RADIO News
Iowans are reminded to prepare for twisters, lightning, and other severe weather
Some Iowans don’t need the reminder, since we had powerful thunderstorms and a massive blizzard just last week, but today marks the start of Severe Weather Awareness Week.
Page County Emergency Management Coordinator Jill Harvey says the National Weather Service is highlighting a different category daily, starting this morning.
“We’re going to talk about lightning safety and we’ll have some tips on how you can prepare for that,” Harvey says. “Some of the other days, we’ll look at tornado safety. Overall preparedness is on Wednesday. Thursday, we’re going to talk about hail and winds, and Friday, we’ll look at flood safety.”
Harvey says Tuesday’s tornado safety observance outlines the steps Iowa’s residents, schools and businesses should take in the event of a tornado, as Iowa saw a record 125 tornadoes touch down last year.
“This is something that here in Iowa, and the Midwest, we should be prepared for it,” she says. “You should have a place of safety. Where are you going to go when that tornado hits? How prepared are you? How do you receive your alerts and warnings so you’re aware of what’s coming at you? Do you track the weather ahead of time? Hopefully, you’re not waiting for those outdoor warning sirens to tell you there’s a tornado.”
The sirens, she says, should be the -last- tool you rely upon. Tornado safety includes tips you may not have thought about before, Harvey says, like your shoes.
“If there’s a tornado warning, do you have shoes on your feet when you go to the basement?” Harvey says. “Because, if you have to come up and your house is gone, there’s going to be a whole world of bad stuff you don’t want to be walking through. So, do you have shoes in your basement ready to go? I always make my family put them on, and go downstairs with them on.”
As part of Wednesday’s focus on preparedness, a statewide tornado drill will be held at 10 AM.
(By Mike Peterson, KMA, Shenandoah)
