Tornado warning sirens will sound off Wednesday around 9 a.m. The drill is part of Severe Weather Awareness Week to help folks prepare and go through safety plans if bad weather strikes.
“We hope people will take the opportunity to work through their emergency preparedness plans that we hope they have for both their homes and their offices,” said Columbus’ Deputy Director of Emergency Management, Riley Land.
Land said walking through your plan will help you avoid panicking when severe weather strikes.
“Go into an interior room on the lowest floor possible that may be a closet, that may be a bathroom, may be a hallway, or an alcove. [Take shelter in] some small room with some structural protection around it,” said Land.
Land said there are three different tones the outdoor emergency warning sirens can emit.
“We will only use a tornado warning tone, we will use an all clear tone and there’s actually a severe thunderstorm tone,” said Land.
Folks in the area will continue to hear a test of the outdoor emergency warning siren system every Saturday at noon. Land said the test is in part to make sure the sirens are working properly and a reminder to folks to have a safety plan in place.
“We hope they are not numb to it and that's a time that if they sound other than Saturday they know hey this is real,” said Land.
Land said another way to stay prepared for severe weather is to purchase a NOAA weather radio which runs about $40 to $60. The National Weather Service issues the warnings you'll hear on that radio system.
If you have an I-Phone or an Android device, Land said there is a free application called "Ready Georgia" for mobile phones. The app will show weather and hazard alerts, based on the user’s location and how to prepare for emergencies. Click on this link for more information: http://www.columbusga.org/fire/emergency.htm
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