City of Joplin to test sirens during Statewide Tornado Drill

 (From the City of Joplin)

Severe Weather Preparedness Week (SWPW) in Missouri and Kansas will be held the week of March 7-11, 2022. To help Missourians prepare for potential tornadoes, SWPW will include the annual Statewide Tornado Drill, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 8, weather permitting. (There will not be a backup date.) This will be an opportunity for businesses, schools, and organization partners to review their tornado response plans in anticipation of the sirens sounding on Tuesday.

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.

 

As this drill kicks off the 2022 Severe Weather Preparedness Week, observed from March 7-11, 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 systems 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.

For more details about Joplin’s storm sirens and sheltering tips, go to https://www.joplinmo.org/698/Basic-Sheltering-Rules

During SWPW, each day of the workweek will have a specific theme or topic to promote, including:

Monday - Receiving weather info/Have a plan
Tuesday - Tornado Safety
Wednesday - Lightning Safety
Thursday - Severe Thunderstorm safety
Friday - Flood Safety

Preparedness information for the week can be found online at: www.weather.gov/sgf/SevereWeatherPreparednessWeek