Severe Weather Awareness Week is March 25-29

The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD), NationalWeatherService (NWS), and Iowa Emergency Management Association (IEMA) have joined together to promote Severe Weather Awareness Week, March 25-29.

“Iowa is no stranger to severe weather,” said HSEMD Director John Benson. “We frequently see tornadoes, flooding, straight-line winds and even derechos. So take the time now to prepare yourself and your family so you know what to do if severe weather is headed your way.”

Benson urges Iowans to take three simple steps to be better prepared:

Be aware of weather hazards by signing up for emergency notifications through Alert Iowa (alert.iowa.gov) or use a NOAA Weather Radio or other type of alerting tool. Make an emergency plan with your family. Think about where you will go and what actions you will need to take to stay safe if you are impacted by severe weather. Build an emergency kit with items you and your family will need if you must evacuate your home.

For each day duringSevereWeatherAwareness Week a different subject will be highlighted:

Monday – Lightning Safety Tuesday – Tornado Safety Wednesday – Preparedness Thursday – Hail and Wind Safety Friday – Flood Safety

The annual statewide tornado drill will take place on Wed., March 27, beginning at 10 a.m. during the weekly NOAAWeatherRadio test. Additional information about the tornado drill can be found on local NWS websites.