This Week is Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week
Monday, April 11th, 2016 -- 11:28 AM
-This week is Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week.I spoke with John Ross, Clark County’s Emergency Management Director, and he talked about Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week and two drills that will be occurring on Thursday.
"Every year, usually middle of April, Wisconsin has Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week. This is an excellent opportunity for people to test their plans for where to go in severe weather. Know where their sheltering points are, whether it's at school or at home or at work. Practice is always a good thing. This week is designed to reach out to the general public, make them aware of the hazards of severe weather, particularly tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. We want people to know the difference between a watch and warning. Know what to do when a warning is issued. Know how to respond appropriately if they're outdoors and they hear the sirens go off."
"A big part of that week will be on Thursday, April 14th. We will have a Statewide Tornado Drill. The rough schedule and timeline for that would be 1pm in the afternoon, a mock tornado watch would be issued for the entire state. And then at approximately 1:45 a mock tornado warning will be issued. If there's severe weather in the area, the drill will be postponed until Friday. If there is severe weather on Friday, the drill will be cancelled. The "garden variety thunderstorms," will not stop the drill. If there's cloudy weather or rain in the area, the drill will go on as scheduled."
"Something new this year, though, is we have added a second drill that will be just a mock tornado warning. That will happen around 6:55pm on Thursday evening. The State of Minnesota has been doing this with some success for the last several years and Wisconsin has decided it would be a good idea for us to participate as well."
John explained why Thursday’s drill is a good time to practice your procedures.
"In theory, it's as close to real as we can make it. The emergency alert system will active the weather all-hazards radios. The communication center here in the Sheriff's Office will sound the outdoor warning sirens and go through their procedures. It's a realistic practice and people can, hopefully, determine what they need to do and respond appropriately and accordingly in a simulated event."
Once again, the state will be participating in the mock tornado watch and warning on Thursday, April 14th.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.