Wisconsin's Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week, Final
Friday, April 17th, 2015 -- 10:50 AM
-This week is Wisconsin's Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week.John Ross, Clark County's Emergency Management Director, offered this advice to those that think disaster won't happen to them or it won't be that bad.
He said, "Take the hazard seriously. It doesn't have to be a tornado to be a significant event. Severe thunderstorms often come with very strong wind, with hail, heavy rain. The threats of flash flooding are present. With winds you could have damage to your home. You could lose power."
"Know the hazards that we face and take them seriously. They can happen here and we, of course, hope they don't, but we need to be ready in the event that they do. We've seen some very significant and severe weather events recently here in the upper mid-west including last week. You need to be ready for it. Have that radio, have that supply kit, have that plan, know what you're going to do. Know your neighbors. If you have people around you that have special needs, know who those people are and if you're able to help them or check in on them, it's always a good thing if you can. Of course, we don't want anybody putting themselves in harms way, but do what you can to stay safe."
"A lot of times people think that the outdoor warning sirens are meant to be heard inside a house or a building. That's not the case. They are exactly that, they are out door warning sirens. If you hear that siren blowing, seek shelter immediately. Take any warning seriously. Whether it's from the All Hazards Radio or if it's an alert that comes across your TV screen or across local radio or you hear the siren if you're outside, take the warning seriously. Don't wait for multiple sources to confirm a warning. Get to shelter, it can make all the difference. You're not going to have a lot of time to react in a lot of cases. You need to take shelter immediately."
As John mentioned, always take every warning seriously.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.