(From the City of Joplin)
Severe Weather Awareness Week will be recognized from March 4 to 10 to help Missourians learn more about potential severe weather and how to prepare for possible weather conditions in upcoming comings.
The National Weather Service, State Emergency Management Agency and Keith Stammer, Joplin and Jasper County’s Emergency Manager, urge Joplin citizens and all Missourians to use this week’s resources to learn about severe weather and how to protect themselves in various scenarios.
An important practice during this week is participating in Missouri’s annual Statewide Tornado Drill set for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 6. At that time, Joplin’s outdoor warning sirens will sound, signaling the beginning of the statewide tornado drill and indicating that Missourians should practice taking shelter. If a tornado shelter is not available, the safest shelter location is a windowless basement or an interior room in the lowest level of a building. Put as many walls between you and the tornado. Other safe locations for businesses and schools include interior stairways and tornado safe rooms.
If severe weather is in the forecast for March 6, the tornado drill will be moved to 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 8.
This tornado drill will be observed by the City of Joplin by sounding the warning sirens for a full three minutes, the same amount that would occur in an actual warning.
The National Weather Service provides safety tips and educational information about tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, flash flooding, lightning and the importance of NOAA Weather Radios on its Severe Weather Awareness Week page: http://www.weather.gov/lsx/severeweek.
Each day during the week focuses on a different safety message:
Monday, March 5 - Preparedness Day;
Tuesday, March 6 - Tornado Safety Day;
Wednesday, March 7 - Flash Flood Safety Day;
Thursday, March 8 - Severe Thunderstorm Day; and
Friday, March 9, Communication/NOAA Weather Radio Day.
In addition to the City’s procedures during the drill, the National Weather Service and the State Emergency Management Agency will be conducting their tests using various news mediums and alert systems. The NWS will kick off the drill with a Tornado Warning which is plainly marked as a test. This test will cause NOAA Weather Radios to activate.
As this drill kicks off the 2018 Severe Weather Awareness Week, observed from March 4 - 10, Keith Stammer, Emergency Management Director, encourages everyone to be proactive and prepare for weather safety. Preparing today may make the difference in surviving the storms to come this spring. He also encourages people to seek appropriate notification system and reminds the public about the warning sirens’ purpose.
“The sirens provide a warning for anyone who is out of doors to go indoors, if possible, and take shelter,” he said. “People indoors cannot always expect to hear the outdoor warning sirens.”
Stammer encourages residents to utilize a NOAA Weather Radio that provides a warning signal when the area is under a watch or a warning. “The advantage of having a weather radio is that you hear the alerts directly from the National Weather Service, and are kept current of the warning status.” Weather radios are available at local retailers and are priced at approximately $30.
For information on Joplin’s siren activation policy, please visit http://www.joplinmo.org/index.aspx?nid=589.
For additional severe weather preparedness, the National Weather Service Springfield’s office has published their spring edition of "The Ozark Ambassador" newsletter. The Ozark Ambassador newsletter can be found at http://www.weather.gov/media/sgf/wrn/Spring2018_Newsletter.pdf
Info on Joplin's outdoor warning siren policy..
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