Monday kicked off Severe Weather Awareness Week. This is a time to prepare for the severe weather season.
Stearns County’s Emergency Management Department encourages every family and business to take the opportunity during this week to build awareness of storm dangers, put weather emergency plans into action, and to participate in the statewide tornado drill.
Two statewide tornado drills will take place on Thursday. The first drill is at 1:45 p.m. That drill allows schools and businesses to practice their emergency plans. The second drill is at 6:55 p.m. This one allows families to also practice their plans.
While Thursday focuses on tornadoes, other subjects for Severe Weather Awareness Week,
April 16-20, are:
¥ Monday: Severe storms, lighting and winds
¥ Tuesday: Weather alerts and warnings
¥ Wednesday: Floods and flash floods
¥ Friday: Heat waves
“It can be difficult to get people to take this topic seriously,” said Marvin Klug, Emergency Management Director. “But as we see all too often, severe weather does happen, and the consequences can be serious. Dangerous storms are common in Minnesota. That one time it could happen to you.”
According to National Weather Service data, tornadoes have occurred in every Minnesota county at some time during the past 60 years. Stearns County has experienced 40 tornadoes since 1950.
Emergency Management urges families to make sure they have a plan if severe weather happens. Family plans include contact numbers, medical information and an agreed place to meet. Write those emergency plans down.
Emergency Management is displaying severe weather awareness information in both the Administration Center rotunda and the Stearns County Service Center this week.
Visit Stearns County’s web site at co.stearns.mn.us, or the State Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management at www.hsem.state.mn.us, to get personal safety and preparedness tips, fascinating weather facts and a variety of downloadable resources for families, teachers and children.
Severe Weather Awareness Week
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