COLUMBIA, MO (March 9, 2011) -

As part of this week’s observance of “Severe Weather Awareness Week”, the Columbia/Boone County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will participate in the annual statewide tornado drill.  The drill is scheduled for Thursday, March 10th, at 1:30 p.m. and will be triggered by the activation of Columbia and Boone County’s outdoor warning sirens. 

“We encourage schools, businesses, hospitals and governmental offices to practice and conduct their drills and emergency plans with staff, students, clients and employees,” says OEM Director Zim Schwartze.   “We cannot stress enough that when everyone knows their basic disaster plan in advance, the possibility of injuries and death is greatly reduced.” 

Schwartze stresses that the outdoor warning sirens being triggered on Thursday are designed to be heard by people who are outside.  “If you are indoors, the best possible way to be alerted of impending severe weather is to be tuned to local media or have a NOAA weather radio.  If you are indoors, you may not hear an outdoor siren which may delay your response time and put you, your staff and/or your family in danger.  It’s critical that action be taken, long before the storms arrive”.



Watches and Warnings

Tornado Watch: This means that conditions are favorable for tornado development.   This is the time to prepare.  Keep alert by listing to NOAA Weather Radio, or the commercial media for the latest weather information.

Tornado Warning: This means a tornado has been sighted or the NWS is seeing signs on radar that indicate a thunderstorm is capable of producing a tornado at any minute. People in the path of the storm should take immediate life saving action.

In homes, schools, hospitals, factories, shopping centers and other public places: Move to designated shelter areas.  If a basement is not available, interior hallways on the lowest level of the building are best.  Stay away from windows and out of auditoriums, gymnasiums, or structures with large free span roofs.

In Vehicles: Do not try to outrun a tornado. A tornado does not have to slow down for traffic, stop signs, or curves on the road. Quickly assess your situation. If necessary, seek shelter in a nearby substantial building. If you have no alternative, abandon your vehicle and hide in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head. Most deaths occur because of the flying debris and head injuries.

Mobile Homes: Mobile homes should be abandoned in favor of a more substantial structure if threatened by a tornado. If severe weather is approaching, move to a different location for a couple of hours if necessary and wait until the storms have passed. Mobile homes are not built to withstand the strong wind gusts that come from severe thunderstorms or tornadoes. 


Preparing for Severe Weather
(information provided by the National Weather Service, St. Louis, MO)

Severe weather will happen, and eventually it will affect you in some way. So the only thing you can do is to try and be prepared the best you can.  The first thing to do is develop a preparedness plan. But before you get into the details of your plan, there are some initial steps you should take.

Step 1: Identify the severe weather hazards you may face:
In the Central United States, severe thunderstorms are a fact of life. These storms can produce tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, large hail, and heavy rain that can produce flash flooding. At some point in your life, you will likely be faced with one of these hazards.


Step 2: Set up your plan:
Everyone should have a severe weather plan for their home, business, and school. Following are some ideas that can be applied to both.

Establish who is responsible for the plan. Someone needs to be in charge. For a large workplace that runs several shifts, you may have several people responsible for the plan.

How will you receive weather warnings? NOAA Weather Radio is a great way to receive severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service. You can also get information from the commercial media, such as radio and television. The Internet is also a great way to get information. However, do not depend solely on one method. Have multiple ways to receive critical weather information.

If you receive a weather warning such that you need to activate your plan, how will you inform the people you are responsible for? In a home that should not be a problem, but in a large workplace you have to have a method for communicating the severe weather information to everyone present.

Establish shelter areas in your home or workplace. Depending on the amount of people who need to be sheltered, multiple areas may be needed. If your home or building is in an area prone to flooding, you need to have an evacuation plan in place.


Step 3: Practice your plan!
Conduct drills and then review the drill to find strengths and weaknesses and make improvements where necessary. It is hard to foresee every circumstance, but drills can often bring out problems that were not previously seen.


Some things you can do to protect your family:

• Have a family disaster plan. A plan will cover what to do, where to meet, and how to contact family members in the event of a fire or severe weather. Make sure all family members know about the family emergency plan. Give emergency information to babysitters and other caregivers.

• Put together an emergency supply kit for your home, for your office, your car, and one for your child at school. A kit should have bottled water, a radio with extra batteries, a flashlight, prescription medicine and first aid supplies.

• Purchase a generator for your home or business. A generator can provide some basic electric service until the commercial power returns. A generator can also keep life safety health equipment functioning (ventilators, oxygen, monitors, or keep insulin cool) during a power outage. Remember though to always follow the instructions when using a generator. For example, never use a generator in a closed structure. The engine gives off deadly carbon monoxide gas. Always place the generator outside.

• Make sure all family members know all possible ways to exit your home and where to meet outside the house. Keep all exits clear.

• Conduct a tornado, fire and earthquake drill once every six months.

• Choose a place for your family to meet after a disaster in case you are at work or school when the disaster happens.

• Know how to contact your children at their school or daycare and where you can pick them up after a disaster. Designate a specific person to pick up your child if you cannot. Make sure the school or daycare has the most current emergency release information.

• Have a tone-alert weather radio to receive severe weather warnings. Also have a portable radio with extra batteries in case there are power outages. This allows you to get the most current weather and emergency information quickly.

• Learn first aid and CPR.

• In the event of a flood, tornado or earthquake, learn how to shut off your water, gas and electricity. Know where to find the shut-off valves and switches.

• Keep a small amount of cash on hand. If the power is out, AMT machines will not operate.

• Keep your gas tank full. If the power is out, gas pumps will not operate.