Severe weather preparedness highlighted during March
As a record number of tornado outbreaks in December demonstrated, severe weather can happen at any time of the year.
To help people better prepare for weather emergencies, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, IEMA, and local emergency management agencies are promoting Severe Weather Preparedness Month throughout the month of March.
The National Weather Service and state and local emergency management officials strongly encourage people to have a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, all hazards weather radio with battery backup.
The radios can be programmed to receive alerts for specified counties to keep people apprised of impending weather and post-event information for all types of hazards including natural (earthquakes), environmental (chemical spills) and public safety hazards (AMBER alerts).
When an alert is issued for the programmed area, the device will sound a warning alarm tone, followed by the essential information.
“Having a weather alert radio in your home can save your life,” IEMA acting director Alicia Tate-Nadeau said.
“Much like a smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector, these devices can alert you while you are sleeping in order to give you the time you need to get your family to safety.”
In this day and age of families constantly on the go, officials said it is also critical for people to have multiple ways to receive notifications and updated information about severe weather warnings.
FEMA offers a free mobile app that provides fast and reliable weather alerts from the National Weather Service, NWS.
The app can be tailored to offer alerts for up to five different locations nationwide.
The mobile app can also help people locate open shelters and disaster resource centers near them in the event of an emergency.
For more information about what to do before, during and after a storm, visit www.Ready.Illinois.gov.
The site offers a Severe Weather Preparedness Guide, developed by IEMA and NWS, which provides tips on how to prepare for all weather emergencies.
Additional tips and information are available on the Ready Illinois Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ReadyIllinois) and Twitter page (www.twitter.com/ReadyIllinois).