SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK

    COUNTY – This week is Severe Weather Awareness Week, March 22-26, as declared by the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division and the National Weather Service.

    Severe Weather Awareness Week is an annual event to remind Iowans that severe weather is part of living in Iowa, and that understanding the risks and how to respond to them can save lives.
    The National Weather Service and Iowa Homeland Security are promoting weather safety information daily this week, including topics such as flash flooding, warning reception, tornados, thunderstorms and family preparedness.
    The year’s practice tornado drill, with a tornado watch issued at 11 a.m., a tornado warning at 11:15 a.m. and an all clear given at 11:30 a.m., all over NOAA weather radio, will be held Wednesday, March 24.
    All Shelby County communities, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, businesses and governmental agencies are reminded to test their severe weather preparedness and response plans, review policy and procedures and update those procedures.
    The rest of the week has been dedicated to other types of severe weather safety such as what to do in the event of flooding or thunderstorms, and how to use weather radio and be prepared for severe weather.

Annual occurrence
    Tornados are nature’s most violent storms. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornados can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour.
    When under a tornado warning, seek shelter immediately. Most injuries associated with high winds are from flying debris, so remember to protect your head.
    Go to a pre-designated area such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar, or the lowest building level. If there is no basement, go to the center of a small interior room on the lowest level (closet, interior hallway) away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck.
    In a tall building, go to a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor possible.
    Put on sturdy shoes.
    Do not open windows.
    Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location.
    Never try to out run a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter.
    Watch out for flying debris. Flying debris from tornados causes most fatalities and injuries.
    Severe weather is an annual occurrence in Nebraska and Iowa. Each year tornados, flash floods and severe thunderstorms with large hail and damaging winds impact each state.
    Besides causing millions of dollars in property damage, the storms also sometimes result in injuries and death.
    National Weather Service officials, who issue all severe storm and tornado warnings for the county, said tornados are one of nature’s most destructive forces in that they can kill or destroy in a matter of seconds.
    Most storms occur between 4-7 p.m. in the evening, from May-July.
    Nebraska and Iowa are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the number of tornados per year, with other natural disasters such as flooding and heat stress becoming more apparent.
    The southwest and west-central Iowa areas, of which Shelby County is included, are located in Tornado Alley, an area from Texas through Minnesota where tornados frequently occur.
    Tornados can move in any direction, hopping and jumping from one area to another. They’re unpredictable.
    The Harlan Newspapers’ web site, www.HarlanOnline.com, will have all weather-related watches and warnings in its breaking news scroll as soon as they are issued.  Also, with the rise of social media, check the Harlan Newspapers’ twitter page for up to date weather conditions.
    Local officials also said Shelby County has excellent coverage from NOAA Weather Radio. It’s an improvement in the local warning system that can be utilized with high reliability. These devices will activate based on weather warnings from the National Weather Service, and they are used to broadcast 911 outages, Amber Alerts, haz-mat evacuations or shelter instructions.
    Officials also are encouraging residents to sign up for the Alert Iowa emergency notification system. It is provided free by the State of Iowa, and residents can sign up to receive weather warnings directly on their home or cell phones.
    The process is simple and does not cost anything.  The emergency management agency and 911 dispatchers of Shelby County will assist anyone with the process if they do not have access to the internet.  Just call 712-755-5160.  
    Or visit www.shelbycountyema.com
    Alex Londo, Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator, urged residents to also check batteries in flashlights, have non-perishable food and water on hand, and have a plan on what to do in the event of severe weather.  
    Also check the visibility of address markers to make sure they can be easily seen from the street.