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Alabama Severe Weather Awareness Week
February 17-22, 2013

This week has been proclaimed Severe Weather Awareness Week in Alabama by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley. The National Weather Service, Alabama Emergency Management Agency and other supporting organizations ask your help in providing the public with information about severe weather safety. Advance planning and increased awareness will help residents of Alabama prepare for these deadly storms.

The picture above is from Mobile, Alabama. This damage occurred from an EF2 tornado on Christmas Day 2012.

Severe weather watches and warnings are ineffective if the public does not receive the message or is not knowledgeable of the safety procedures to follow. The purpose of Severe Weather Awareness Week is to provide people with the knowledge necessary to protect their lives when severe weather threatens.

Whether in the form of severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, or flash floods, severe weather can develop very quickly. Once a tornado approaches, or flooding develops, it is too late to start working on a preparedness plan. When severe weather develops, and warnings are issued, we must take immediate action to protect ourselves. Preparing for severe weather is the theme of this program.

So how does one prepare for severe weather? For a severe weather preparedness plan to be successful, it must include the following:

• knowledge of terminology such as watches and warnings,
• a thorough knowledge of safety rules to follow when severe weather strikes,
• a reliable method of receiving emergency information,
• the designation of an appropriate shelter,
• and drills to test the plan.

For an electronic version of the Alabama All Hazards Awareness Booklet click here.

"Tornado Safety Drill" on Wednesday, February 20. In Alabama, we do not conduct a statewide tonado drill.  However, we encourage everyone to conduct their own safety drill on Wednesday, Feb 22nd.  This "tornado safety drill" will be accomplished in conjunction with our weekly NOAA All-Hazards Radio Test that will be run at a special time around 910 AM. An actual tornado warning WILL NOT sound, but this is an excellent opportunity for schools, civic organizations and businesses in southwest and south central Alabama to practice what they would do in the event of a tornado warning.

You are also invited to contact the National Weather Service for interviews, information, or answers to any questions you may have. In many instances, we are also able to present severe weather awareness programs to civic and industrial organizations, schools, amateur radio clubs, and hospital staffs.

For more information, contact:

• Jeff Garmon, Warning Coordination Meteorologist
  NOAA - National Weather Service Forecast Office - Mobile, AL
  251-633-6443