By: Ryan Duey
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Topeka will hold its Severe Weather Preparedness Week for the area from March 3rd through the 7th. Each day will cover a different topic on severe weather and how to keep yourself and your family safe and prepared during these hazards.
Chad Omitt, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, said this annual weekly event is a good reminder for Kansans about the different weather risks we may encounter and how to prepare for those risks.
“Most of us, if we’ve lived in Kansas for a while, we’re familiar with the hazards we deal with, specifically severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and things like that.”
“But it’s always good to just remind people of the ways to receive information, stay safe, and best practices when it comes to sheltering. It’s about just staying up-to-date and informed.”
Daily Topics will include:
- Monday: Preparedness
- Tuesday: Flood Safety
- Wednesday: Tornado Safety, with a Statewide Tornado Drill
- Thursday: Wind and Hail Safety
- Friday: Lightning Safety
Omitt spoke about what they do with the daily topics.
“We take a topic each day, Monday through Friday. We talk about various thunderstorm-related hazards like flooding, tornadoes, lightning, and things like that. We will talk about ways to keep yourself safe, ways to receive information, and more.”
“Of all the things in life aside from taxes, I think if you live here in Kansas, you know we’re going to have severe weather and there will be tornadoes later this year and we just want people to be prepared.”
The Statewide Tornado Drill will take place on Wednesday, March 5th at 11:00 am. For more information on Severe Weather Preparedness Week visit https://www.weather.gov/top/swaw.
