Clark County Emergency Management Director Says to Be Prepared for All Weather Types During this Spring Transition Period
Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 -- 12:26 PM
-Our weather this past weekend certainly felt like spring, but if living in Wisconsin has taught us anything, you can never count Old Man Winter out completely.It’s not uncommon for us to see major snowstorms in March and April. I spoke with John Ross, Clark County’s Emergency Management Director, and he said you should still be prepared for the dangers of winter weather.
“March and April is a transition time. We can see a little bit of everything as far as weather activity. This past week, we’ve had some pretty nice temperatures and sun, but we saw snow too. Not a major event by any means, but enough to where you still have to be aware of the potential for snow and winter weather type events.”
“One of the biggest things is be aware of the weather forecast and allow extra time if you have to travel especially if they’re talking about snow or ice or any kind of event that’s going to affect travel. Use your winter driving skills. Make sure that you allow enough distance to stop safely and reduce speeds as appropriate and drive for conditions.”
“We’re still in the heating season, so making sure that furnace vents are free of snow and ice build up. I know sometimes snow will fall off the roof, which could create a potential hazard there if it happens to pile up around those vents. Same thing with natural gas meters or regulators on propane systems. Make sure they’re clear of ice and snow and protected from potential falling snow off of roofs as a result of melt. Have carbon monoxide detectors in your house whenever you’re running heating equipment, that’s always a risk. Have a smoke detector.”
“Be aware. Have your kit in case you’d be stuck at home without power or we had a major snow event that made traveling difficult. It’s always a good idea to have that emergency kit at home with a supply of non-perishables and drinking water and medications and things like that that you might need.”
One the reverse side of that, we are in a transition period and it will only be a matter of time before spring and summer are here. John said you should be ready for those as well.
“Every year we go through this transition where we get a mixed bag of not only temperatures, but precipitation. We have the spring snowmelt to work through. We, of course, always hope for a slow and gradual melt rather than a very rapid melt that can contribute to flooding, especially along rivers, lakes and streams. This year, the Mississippi River and its tributaries are actually at and above normal risks for some flooding, which is based on factors such as soil moisture and frost depth and the amount of snow/water equivalent. Days above freezing and nights below freezing help regulate that snow melt and can be to our benefit.”
“The biggest advice I would give there is that if you live along a waterway where flooding tends to be a concern or if we have a heavy rain event and flooding is a concern, be prepared to leave that residence if you have to with little or no warning if it comes in a flash flood type event. Stay alert of your surroundings and conditions. If the water starts rising, don’t wait to move to higher ground. Get out sooner rather than later. Be aware of things like if your private septic system or private well gets inundated with water. You’re going to want to have an assessment or testing done there.”
“They recently had tornadoes in Tennessee that resulted in significant loss of life. It goes to show that tornadoes can happen at any time of the year. More likely in that April, May, June, July time frame, but they can happen at any time during the year. Start thinking about spring weather, start thinking about thunderstorms, start thinking about outdoor safety if you’re outside and threatening weather approaches. Good time of the year to revisit your family’s emergency plan and refamiliarize yourself with plans for school or at your place of work.”
Severe weather and tornado awareness week is coming in April along with the state wide mock tornado watch and warning.
“In April, we will be having the Annual Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week in Wisconsin. Right now, the state wide tornado drills are scheduled for April 16th. They do go on even if the sky is grey and there’s showers and weather around. However, if there’s a threat for severe weather they’ll postpone it to Friday. And if there’s threatening weather on Friday, unfortunately, the drill will be canceled. They do an afternoon drill. The simulated tornado watch around 1pm in the afternoon with the simulated warning around 1:45pm. And now, the last couple years, they’ve done the evening drill with a simulated tornado warning between 6:45pm-7pm.”
“So, that gives people a chance now to not only practice at work and school, but also practice at home. If you can’t participate on drill day, practice at another time. It’s always a good idea to practice. Know what you’re going to do so that when or if the situation happens, you’re not scrambling trying to figure out what your plan says.”
Finally, John ended our interview by reminding everyone to be prepared.
“I’ll put out my general message that I try to reinforce with the community; don’t wait until the bad day happens to think about what you’re going to do. It’s not fun to think about that kind of stuff, but it’s necessary. Focus on those hazards that are most likely to impact you. Whether it be severe weather, whether it be flash flooding, whether it be, unfortunately, a home fire. Any kind of emergency plan that you can do.”
“I will put in a plug for a service that the county has available to us called Nixel. It is a way for us to do emergency notification via telephone, via text message, via email. People can go to the Emergency Management Page on the Clark County website. There’s a real short registration link there. A few mouse clicks and you’re signed up. Right now, we automatically rebroadcast text messaging for tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings and flash flood warnings because those are immediate life safety concerns. But we can use it for other information. For example, if we had some sort of shelter in place situation or some sort of evacuation situation, it would be a good way to get information along with other sources like local TV, local radio or NOAA All Hazards Radios. It’s another tool to have in the toolbox. Registration is completely voluntary of course, but we would encourage it as a way to get that information out and have yet another source to make yourself aware and provide protection for you and guidance and information that would come from official sources.”
And you can find out more about the various weather dangers we face and how to prepare for them by checking the Clark County Emergency Management Department’s website.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.