THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
Brian Short, Director of Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.
Short announced that March 1 – March 7 is the 2020 North Carolina Severe Weather Preparedness Week. With the potential of severe weather peaking with the beginning of the spring season, Short said now is the time to prepare in case of an emergency situation.
“Mother Nature rarely gives us a break,” said Short. “It seems like there is something we face every season. As we slide into spring, there is the potential for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, flash flooding and lightning.”
The number one thing you can do to prepare for severe weather is to make a safety plan for you and your family, Short explained. The plan should include which room(s) of the home to seek shelter in and who to contact in case of an emergency.
Tips for staying safe in events such as a tornado include seeking shelter in an interior room with no windows, staying close to the ground and getting in a doorway, which tends to be more structurally-sound than other parts of the home.
In addition to making a severe weather safety plan, Short said the National Weather Service (NWS) encourages everyone to participate in a Statewide Tornado Drill, which will occur on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. Every school, business, workplace, and family across the state is strongly encouraged to participate.
In information Short provided to WIZS, the NWS states the following:
- The tornado drill will be broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System via the Required Monthly Test (RMT). There will not be an actual Tornado Warning issued.
- Many NOAA Weather Radio receivers (including the older Midland WR-100 radios that many schools have) do not sound an audible alert for the RMT product; instead, they may have a blinking light on the display to indicate that an RMT was received. As such, when the RMT for the statewide tornado drill is initiated at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, there is a chance that your NOAA Weather Radio will not sound an alarm.
Since your NOAA Weather Radio may not sound an alarm at the time the RMT is issued, you may do one of the following:
- Manually turn on your NOAA Weather Radio receiver and listen to the audio broadcast to hear when the RMT is issued, which will mark the beginning of the statewide tornado drill.
- Plan to start your tornado drill on your own at 9:30 a.m.
There will be no follow-up statements issued by the NWS to mark the end of the statewide tornado drill. It will end when your group feels that you have adequately practiced your tornado shelter procedures.
According to the NWS, if there is actual severe weather occurring on March 4, 2020, the statewide tornado drill will be postponed. The alternate date for the drill is Friday, March 6, 2020, at 9:30 a.m.
Short encourages Henderson residents (that haven’t already done so) to visit www.vancecounty.org/em to register for the Code Red emergency notification service. By signing up for Code Red, you will receive local weather alerts and emergency information – evacuation notices, bio-terrorism alerts, boil water notices, missing child reports, etc. – directly to your phone.
For additional information on Severe Weather Preparedness Week, please visit https://www.weather.gov/rah/2020ncswpw where you’ll find links to daily severe weather topics and useful severe weather preparedness tips and information.
To hear the interview with Short in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
