County EMA promoting preparedness week

As Alabama's season for severe weather season approaches, Coffee County Emergency Management Agency officials are urging residents to be prepared in the event of severe weather.

National Severe Weather Preparedness Week is March 3-9, and this year carries the theme "Be a Force of Nature" and better prepare for severe weather threats in the area.

Sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, National Severe Weather Preparedness Week is a nationwide effort to increase awareness of severe weather and to motivate individuals, families, businesses and communities to take action that will prepare them in the event of severe weather.

Coffee County Emergency Management Agency Director Larry Walker said the major threats in Alabama include severe thunderstorms, lightning, flooding and tornados.

CCEMA officials encourage families and businesses to create severe weather plans including meeting locations and the designation of safe areas within a business or home.

Safe areas are often rooms providing the most shelter for a building's occupants.

Walker said it's also important to practice severe weather plans for homes and businesses, just as schools often practice their plans.

"Being prepared to act quickly can be the difference between life and death," Walker said. "People need to know when and where to go when there is a severe weather situation."

Disaster kits are also recommended and should include items like non-perishable foods, medications, flashlights, batteries, bottled water and important documents.

Walker recommends having a disaster kit for the home, as well as a portable one that can be kept in a car.

Weather radios are also recommended, which give additional warnings of inclement weather including tornadoes, flooding and thunderstorms.

"I cannot stress the importance of having a NOAA weather radio enough," Walker said.

Regular monthly testing of the tornado siren warning system occurs for one minute on the first Wednesday of each month.

Alabama is one of the hardest hit states in terms of severe weather with its peak tornado season between March and May. Alabama also has a fall severe weather period from November to early December.

Flooding can also be extremely dangerous, with 3-4 inches of rain being capable of carrying a car off the roadway.

Walker said the best thing someone can do if they see standing water is, "turn around, don't drown."

Due to the relatively large number of tornados the county experiences throughout the year, CCEMA works diligently to aid county residents in severe weather preparedness by developing an extensive siren warning system.

The county currently has 27 active tornado sirens.

Walker said the state encounters an average of 70-80 thunderstorms a year and an average of 44 tornadoes. In 2011, the state was struck by about 67 tornadoes on April 27.

"(Severe weather) can happen anytime, anywhere," Walker said. "Being prepared is the key to surviving."

For more information and weather safety tips, visit the National Weather Service Forecast Office website www.srh.noaa.gov or the CCEMA website, www.ccema.com.