Practice emergency drills in event of severe weather
Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week has been declared in Wisconsin, as April 12-16. With that declaration, ReadyWisconsin wants everyone to take time to talk about weather safety with their families and take part in statewide tornado drills Thursday.
“Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are a frequent weather threat across the state each year, and it’s important that people know what to do when the skies darken and warnings are issued,” said Dr. Darrell L. Williams, Wisconsin Emergency Management administrator. Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes annually. During the 2020 season, 20 confirmed tornadoes touched down in the state, including one in Cadott, last July. While spring and summer are the most active time of the year for tornadoes, they can happen in any month.
To stay safe from severe weather, ReadyWisconsin encourages people to do the following:
• Create an emergency plan and practice it. Know where designated shelters are located at home, work and school, and be ready to go there when a tornado warning is issued.
• Have multiple ways to receive alerts about approaching severe weather. Outdoor warning sirens, a NOAA Weather Radio, local media and smartphone apps are all important tools. Don’t rely on any single source for important life-saving alerts.
• If a person has a mobile device, make sure it is enabled to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts. On many devices, that option is available in the settings menu.
• Keep up-to-date on the daily forecast for the area.
• Create an emergency kit for the home, with supplies such as food, water, a flashlight and firstaid kit.
To help with preparedness, Wisconsin will once again conduct its annual statewide tornado drill Thursday, April 15, at 1:45 p.m., and 6:45 p.m., everyone is encouraged to pause what they are doing and practice going to their designated shelter location. If there is severe weather expected anywhere in the state that day, the drill would be postponed to Friday, April 16.
If someone is unable to participate at those times or need to stagger practices, because of concerns about COVID-19, ReadyWisconsin encourages everyone to make time on the date of the drill to practice their plan.
One change people may notice this year, is the drill will not include a mock tornado warning issued as a live code test of the Emergency Alert System. As a result, there will be no test alerts sounded on NOAA Weather Radios. While some television and radio stations may break into coverage or display information on screen during the drill times, many may choose to address the drill during their regular local news programming instead.
Some communities may still choose to test their outdoor warning sirens during the drill times. However, it is expected many will instead rely on their regular testing schedules to ensure those devices are working properly.
