Time Once Again To Brush Up On Severe Weather Awareness
Time Once Again To Brush Up On Severe Weather Awareness
March 21, 2022Steve Schwaller
(Spirit Lake)– This week marks the observance of severe weather awareness week in the state of Iowa. Mike Ehret, Dickinson County Emergency Management Coordinator, says the emphasis this year is to make sure you have more than just one source of getting watches and warnings…
“Of course there’s the traditional method that has been around quite awhile with radio stations, tv stations and that sort of thing. We’ve got a lot of good radio stations, tv stations, in the area that will do the wall-to-wall coverage when the weather’s coming through, and that’s great, but there’s times when you’re not around tv and radio. Just about everybody’s carrying a smart phone any more. There’s a lot of different apps out there that will give you weather information and weather alerts, so there’s multiple ways there to get that information. And then, of course, there’s our Dickinson Alert System that’s free. You can sign up for it. You’ll get text messages and emails for watches and warnings and that sort of thing, so.”
Ehret says having a weather radio is also important…
“That’s probably the best one, really, to wake you up in the middle of the night when a watch or warning is issued. A lot of people turn their phones off, radio and tv aren’t on probably, so that’s one way that will get you up in the middle of the night when something’s happening.”
And Ehret says once you get that warning, it’s up to you to act on it…
“You got to go to shelter. Don’t run outside and try to get a video or a picture of it. There’s already enough videos and pictures of tornadoes and severe weather out there. Your safety’s most important. Get you and your family and who ever else to the shelter, to the safe place, and wait there until the storm has passed, and then once it’s passed then, you know, you can come out.”
Ehret encourages residents, organizations, schools, businesses and factories to use this week to review their severe weather procedures. He says his office can assist in putting those plans together. Dickinson County Emergency Management can be reached at 336-3987.
As part of severe weather awareness week again this year, a statewide tornado drill is planned for 10:00 am this Wednesday, provided there isn’t threatening weather.
