Severe Weather Awareness Week

Next week is Severe Weather Awareness Week, and there will be tornado drills on Thursday, April 16th. The drills are scheduled for 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. so when you hear the sirens, you should think of where you would take shelter, no matter where you are.

Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze says if you’re outdoors when severe weather hits, you should get inside, or else lay down in a low area, and if you are in a vehicle get out of it and lay in a low area because a tornado will pick up your vehicle. He says the ideal place to go when you’re inside is a basement or an interior room with no windows.

Sheriff Cruze says besides tornadoes, severe weather includes lightning, hail, floods and extreme heat, and you need to have respect for all of those phenomena as they are capable of taking your life. He says you should not try to drive through a flooded road as the road may be missing underneath, and the current could easily wash away your vehicle; and during extreme heat – stay hydrated and take frequent breaks.

Sheriff Cruze says weather alerts are issued when conditions are favorable for severe weather and warnings are issued when severe weather is imminent; and Meeker County has the RAVE system which will send you emergency notices. You can find a link to get signed up for RAVE on the Meeker County Sheriff’s website or call Stephanie Johnson at the Sheriff’s Office at 693-5400. He says next week is also Telecommunications Week – a time to thank our 911 dispatchers for the work that they do.