Friday, April 29, 2011

Are You Prepared For The Next Storm?

With the recent number of severe weather occurrences and the storm season just beginning, we wanted to give you a few useful reminders of things you should keep in mind when preparing for the next storm.





  • During any storm, listen to local news or a NOAAWeather Radio to stay informed about watches and warnings.


  • Know your community’s warning system. Communities have different ways of warning residents about tornadoes, with many having sirens intended for outdoor warning purposes.


  • Pick a safe room in your home where household members and pets may gather during a tornado. This should be a basement, storm cellar or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows.


  • Practice periodic tornado drills so that everyone knows what to do if a tornado is approaching.


  • Consider having your safe room reinforced. Plans for reinforcing an interior room to provide better protection can be found on the FEMA Web site at http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/rms/rmsp453.shtm.


  • Prepare for high winds by removing diseased and damaged limbs from trees.


  • Move or secure lawn furniture, trash cans, hanging plants or anything else that can be picked up by the wind and become a projectile.


  • Watch for tornado danger signs:
    • Dark, often greenish clouds—a phenomenon caused by hail
    •Wall cloud—an isolated lowering of the base of a thunderstorm
    • Cloud of debris
    • Large hail
    • Funnel cloud—a visible rotating extension of the cloud base
    • Roaring noise

SOURCE: http://www.redcross.org

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