Northwest Iowa — This is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa.
One of the topics being discussed this week is weather warnings, and how they are received. The National Weather Service says that one of the most important precautions you can take to protect yourself and your family from severe weather is to remain weather aware. Being weather aware means you are informed of the weather forecast and alert to the potential hazards.
Warning Coordination Meteorologist Peter Rogers with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls says in order to keep yourself and your family members safe, you should have more than one way of receiving weather warnings.
Rogers says don’t just rely on the tornado sirens, which you may, or may not hear. Emergency management officials advise that the outdoor warning sirens are really only to let people outdoors know about severe weather. And if you’re near a radio or can listen on your phone or computer, we suggest you listen to our comprehensive severe weather coverage on KIWA.
But speaking of tornado sirens, you may hear them being activated in the 10 a.m. hour this Wednesday, weather permitting. Part of Severe Weather Awareness week is to make sure equipment is ready, should it be needed in the event of severe weather.
Emergency management officials say that when the warning is issued, things will proceed just like they would for an actual tornado warning. The 911 dispatch centers will receive the warning and will activate the tornado sirens in all of their communities.
When you hear the siren, hear the alert on the radio, or receive the warning in another way, they ask that you and your family do what you would normally do if a tornado were actually imminent. Go to your basement or place of safety, and practice your plan. If you’re not home when the sirens sound, make sure to practice your plan when you get home. For that matter, officials suggest you practice what you would do wherever you find yourself, in case a tornado should strike in those circumstances.
