This week has been proclaimed the Alabama Severe Weather Awareness Week by Gov. Kay Ivey.
Advance planning and increased awareness will help people prepare for potentially deadly storms.
Severe weather watches and warnings are ineffective if the public does not receive the message or is not knowledgeable of the safety procedures to follow. The purpose of Severe Weather Awareness Week is to provide people with the knowledge necessary to protect their lives when severe weather threatens.
Whether in the form of severe thunderstorms, tornadoes or flash floods, severe weather can develop very quickly. Once a tornado approaches or flooding develops it is too late to start working on a preparedness plan.
When severe weather develops and warnings are issued you must take immediate action to protect yourself and others.
How does one prepare for severe weather? For a severe weather preparedness plan to be successful, it must include the following:
• Knowledge of terminology, such as watches and warnings;
• Knowledge of safety rules when severe weather strikes;
• A reliable method of receiving emergency information;
• Designation of an appropriate shelter; and,
• Drills to test the plan.
From Friday, Feb. 25, to Sunday, Feb. 27, Alabama will observe the state’s 11th annual Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday. Alabama is one of only two states with a severe weather preparedness sales tax holiday in 2022; the other state is Texas.
Citizens are encouraged to restock emergency supplies in homes, workplaces and vehicles during this three-day tax holiday. Certain emergency preparedness items will be exempt from the state’s 4 percent state sales tax and in some cities and counties, local taxes are waived on those items as well.
The tax-exempt items include the following priced at $60 or less: flashlights, lanterns, battery-powered or hand-crank radios, batteries, first-aid kits, cell phone chargers, two-way radios, manual can openers, tarps and plastic sheeting, duct tape, fire extinguishers and tie-down kits.
Other tax-free items include coolers, ice packs, plywood, window film and smoke/fire/carbon monoxide detectors. Portable generators and power cord costing $1,000 or less are also tax free.
In Enterprise, Coffee County Community Emergency Response Team and the Coffee County Emergency Management Agency Office will be providing severe weather information handouts and programming weather radios on Feb. 25 from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Walgreens in Enterprise. The store does not sell severe weather radios and those interested are asked to bring their own to have it programed by Coffee County CERT personnel.
For additional information about CERT or having a severe weather radio programed, please contact Scotty Johnson at (334) 806-1994 or [email protected].
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