The Georgia Emergency Management/Homeland Security Agency is teaming up with the National Weather Service for the statewide observance of Severe Weather Preparedness Week from February 6th through 10th.
Tim Herrington, the Director of the Floyd County Emergency Management Agency, says that this week is a good time to learn about and get prepared for various types of severe weather that sometimes pose a threat to our area.
There is a different severe weather-related focus for each day of this week. According to the Georgia Emergency Management/Homeland Security Agency, the list includes:
- Monday, Feb. 6 – Family Preparedness/NOAA Weather Radio Day: Purchase a life-saving NOAA Weather Radio and choose an out-of-state friend as a “check-in” contact to call if your family gets separated.
- Tuesday, Feb. 7 – Thunderstorm Safety: Learn the difference between a thunderstorm watch and a thunderstorm warning.
- Wednesday, Feb. 8 – Tornado Safety (Drill at 9 a.m.): Determine in advance where you will take shelter in case of a tornado warning.
- Thursday, Feb. 9 – Lightning Safety: Learn the 30/30 rule. If after seeing lightning, you cannot count to 30 before hearing thunder, go indoors. Stay indoors for 30 minutes after hearing the last clap of thunder.
- Friday, Feb. 10 – Flood Safety: Copy important documents, seal them in a watertight container and add them to your Ready kit.
Herrington urges Floyd County residents to download the Floyd EMA mobile app for information on severe weather preparedness and other useful features. It’s available free of charge from Apple’s App Store or Google Play.