Preparing for Severe Weather in the Twin Cities

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Last week was Severe Weather Awareness Week, if you were wondering why the sirens were going off at odd times of the day. Preparing for severe weather in the Twin Cities is incredibly important whether you live in Plymouth, Orono, or any of the Wester Twin Cities suburbs. Severe Weather Awareness Week is a time when people are encouraged to come up with a plan to implement in the event of severe weather in the Twin Cities.

No matter the size of your home, you should have a plan in the event of severe weather. You should have a plan for when you and your family are at home, as well as follow the plans in place at your place of work and the kids at school. It’s important to have occasional drills so everyone knows exactly what to do when severe weather breaks out.

What to do when you hear severe weather sirens

If you are at home when the sirens sounds follow your plan. Your plan should be to go to the basement if you have one and make sure you aren’t underneath something heavy like a piano, on the floor above. Shelter under a workbench of you have one or cover yourself with a mattress if possible. If you don’t have a basement go to the lowest level and avoid windows. Try to get to an interior closet or bathroom if possible. Cover yourself with a mattress if available or a sleeping bag or blanket to keep glass and other debris from you.

Click here for more information about Severe Weather Safety.

June has the most tornadoes followed by July and May, so now is a great time to get prepared for severe weather.

Purchase a Weather Radio

Residents are encouraged to purchase a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio and sign up for weather alerts. The National Weather Service (NWS) and many local media outlets offer electronic alerting services that provide email, RSS feed or text messages to cell phones, computers or other devices, either directly or via services such as Facebook, Twitter or others. These messages are available by voluntary subscription and can provide local information on weather, including watches and warnings. The list below includes a sampling of various electronic alerting services in Minnesota:

Take advantage of Severe Weather Awareness Week to review your family’s emergency procedures and prepare for weather-related hazards.

Each day of the week focused on a different weather safety topic:

Monday — Alerts and Warnings
Tuesday — Severe Weather, Lightning and Hail
Wednesday — Floods
Thursday — Tornadoes (with statewide tornado drills)
Friday — Extreme Heat

Check each page link above for specific information about these topics, including factsheets, checklists, data and other resources.

How to Prepare for Severe Weather

Get an Emergency Kit – Everyone should have a go bag or emergency kit packed for any kind of emergency. In severe weather power can be lost for days in some areas so it’s smart to have enough non perishable food on hand. Make sure you have plenty of bottled water on hand as well. Make sure you have enough personal items like medication to get by for a few days too.

Create an Emergency Plan – Create a plan with your family and practice it. Where will you go if a storm hits? How will you communicate with other family members in the event of a tornado or severe storm? Make a plan and practice it so each family members feels secure in the event of an emergency.

Why are Sirens Activated – Sirens are activated for both severe weather and tornado warnings. Sirens can sound in specific zones or countywide. Sirens stop sounding after three minutes.

Again, it’s important to have a battery powered weather radio so you can remain informed in the event of severe weather.

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