The Calm Before the Storm...

Everyone is talking about it, the news, the radio, and everyone on the street, from the mailman to the school crossing guard… The weather is expected to change for the worse and watches and warnings are soon to follow. So what do you do now? Each year, far too many accidents and property damages occur that could have been avoided with a just little planning ahead…

 

Planning for a Severe Thunderstorm...

First and foremost..

Be Prepared Long Before The Severe Weather Season

Establish a regular maintenance system schedule before the storm season arrives, by keeping your trees properly pruned regularly, reduces the potential for damage to the tree itself and prevents flying limbs from falling or becoming projectiles.

 

See our page on Identifying Hazardous Trees to see what to look for.

 

 

Develop a Family Disaster Plan.

Download the “Family Disaster Plan” pdf for general family planning information from FEMA that is sure to get you started. Severe thunderstorm specific planning should include the following:

Learn about your area’s severe thunderstorm risk.

Severe thunderstorms can occur year-round and at any hour. Contact your local emergency management office, local National Weather Service office, or American Red Cross chapter for more information.

Learn and discuss how you can predict if a thunderstorm might produce a tornado.

Tornadoes develop from severe thunderstorms along and ahead of cold fronts. The informative Tornados pdf is a great place to start.

Pick a “safe place” in your home where family members can gather during a thunderstorm.

This should be a place where there are no windows, skylights, or glass doors, which could be broken by strong winds or hail, causing damage or injury. Severe thunderstorms do, at times, produce tornadoes.
In preparation for possible tornado warnings, consider making your severe thunderstorm “safe place” on the lowest floor of the building.

 

Practice squating low to the ground.

Make yourself the smallest target possible for lightning and minimize contact with the ground.
Lightning current often enters a victim through the ground rather than by a direct overhead strike. Assume a crouched position on the ground with only the balls of the feet touching the ground, place your hands on your knees, and lower your head. Minimize your body’s surface area, and minimize contact with the ground.

 

Decide how you would want to be warned of an approaching thunderstorm.

Different communities have different ways of providing warnings.
Many communities have sirens intended for outdoor warning purposes.
Use a NOAA Weather Radio with a tone-alert feature to keep you aware of watches and warnings while you are indoors. Learn about your community’s warning system. Make sure all family members know the name of the county or parish where you live or are traveling, because severe thunderstorm watches and warnings are issued for counties or parishes.

 

Discuss a go-to plan for severe weather for whenever the family is seperated at the onset of a storm.

Everyone should know what to do in case all family members are not together. Discussing disaster ahead of time helps reduce fear and lets everyone know how to respond during a severe thunderstorm.

And Finally....

It cant be stressed enough the importance of being prepared before disaster strikes. Theres no way to prevent severe weather from affecting your home and loved ones, but a little preparation can go a long way to bettering the aftermath.

During the storm season, being prepared means knowing what to look for and having a plan in place -

it can mean the difference between

"whether you weather the storm,

or

getting caught out in the rain"