Statewide tornado drill helps Missourians prepare for deadly severe weather

Missouri’s annual Statewide Tornado Drill will be held on Tuesday, March 6, at 10 a.m. (Some Missouri communities may choose to conduct the drill on a different day due to conflicting events like local elections.)
“This is the time for people to review/update/create their own home emergency plans and kits,” said David Roll, Daviess County Emergency Management Director. “Be sure to have enough food, water (three gallons per person per day), medications, first aid kit, flashlights, etc. Don’t forget about weather radios. Also make sure you have an updated emergency contacts list that you share with trusted family or friends.”
At 10 a.m. on March 6, outdoor warning sirens and weather alert radios across the state will sound, signaling the beginning of the statewide tornado drill and indicating that Missourians should practice taking shelter.
“Remember that storm sirens are designed to be heard by people outdoors – not indoors,” said Director Roll.
If a tornado shelter is not available, the safest shelter location is a windowless basement or an interior room in the lowest level of a building. Put as many walls between you and the tornado. Other safe locations for businesses and schools include interior stairways and tornado safe rooms.
If severe weather is in the forecast for March 6, the tornado drill will be moved to Thursday, March 8, at 10 a.m.
The National Weather Service provides safety tips and educational information about tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, flash flooding, lightning and the importance of NOAA weather radios on its severe weather awareness week page at http://www.weather.gov/lsx/severeweek.
Each day during the week focuses on a different safety message: Monday, March 5, Preparedness Day; Tuesday, March 6, Tornado Safety Day; Wednesday, March 7, Flash Flood Safety Day; Thursday, March 8, Severe Thunderstorm Day; and Friday, March 9, Communication/NOAA Weather Radio Day.
According to the National Weather Service, Missouri experienced 83 tornadoes, with one death and 32 injuries in 2017. Travis Koenig of Perryville was killed on Feb. 28, 2017, when a tornado carried his pickup truck off Interstate 55 in Perry County.
“With spring storms, there is also the chance of flash floods, keep that in mind,” said Director Roll. ”Don’t drown, turn around.”
Except for 2015, when Missouri experienced 27 flooding deaths, 2017’s total of nine flooding fatalities was the highest total since 2008, when nine people also perished in flooding. Missourians need to understand that here and across the nation, more than half the people killed by flooding were in vehicles that drove into floodwater.
More information can be found on Missouri’s stormaware.mo.gov website, which includes detailed videos about how to take shelter from tornadoes.
Remember:
Tornado ‘watch’ means watch the sky. A tornado may form during a thunderstorm.
Tornado ‘warning’ means seek shelter immediately.
The safest shelter location is an interior room without windows on the lowest floor.
Do not seek shelter in a cafeteria, gymnasium or other large open room because the roof might collapse.
Immediately leave a mobile home to seek shelter in a nearby building.
Overpasses are not safe. Their under-the-girder-type construction can cause a dangerous wind tunnel effect.
If you are driving, stop and take shelter in a nearby building.
If you are driving in a rural area, drive away from the tornado to the closest building. If you cannot get away, seek shelter in a roadside ditch. Protect yourself from flying debris by covering your head with your arms, a coat or a blanket. Be prepared to move quickly in case the ditch fills with water.
Never drive into standing water. It can take less than six inches of fast moving water to make a slow moving car float. Once floating, a vehicle can overturn and sink.
“The weather in Missouri has a tendency to be unpredictable,” said Director Roll. “Tornadoes are not just isolated to spring time, look at southeast Missouri this past week.”
The southeast town of Malden was impacted by this past weekend’s tornado. Dozens of homes were damaged by the storm and four people were injured.