Sheldon, Iowa — This is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa. Each day this week, the National Weather Service is focusing on a different severe weather topic.
Warning Coordination Meteorologist Peter Rogers at the Sioux Falls office of the National Weather Service says that today’s topic is family preparedness.
(as said:)”Going back to the idea of making sure that you have a severe weather safety plan in effect, whether it be at your home or your business or at your workplace so that when severe weather strikes, do you know what to do and where to go? And so if those plans aren’t in place right now, this is a great time of year to start being — to start talking about that.”
Emergency management officials tell us that disasters of all kinds disrupt hundreds of thousands of lives every year. FEMA and the National Weather Service say that each disaster has lasting effects, both to people and property. If a disaster occurs in your community, local government and disaster-relief organizations will try to help you, but you need to be ready as well. Local responders may not be able to reach you immediately, or they may need to focus their efforts elsewhere. Being prepared for a disaster can reduce fear, anxiety, and losses that accompany disasters.
