Severe Weather Awareness Week

Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze would like to encourage all Meeker County residents to participate in one of the tornado drills this week during Severe Weather Awareness Week. The sirens will sound on Thursday at 1:45 p.m. and at 6:45 p.m., so no matter where you are, you should think about where you would take shelter if there was severe weather.

Sheriff Cruze says there’s a different topic for each day this week to make people aware of the various weather hazards that are possible and how to stay safe. He says today’s topic is Alerts and Warnings, Tuesday is Severe Storms, Lightning and Hail, Wednesday is Floods, Thursday is Tornadoes, and Friday is Extreme Heat.

Sheriff Cruze says the tornado drills on Thursday are intended to give the public the opportunity to practice their tornado sheltering procedures.  He says the first drill is an opportunity for schools, businesses and those working during the day to practice while the evening drill allows second shift workers and families at home to do the same. He says the safest place to go is a basement or an interior room, such as a bathroom, without windows.

Sheriff Cruze says the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office uses RAVE alerts, a mass notification system, to deliver timely and reliable emergency information to residents, businesses, and visitors via text message, phone call, and email and you can get signed up with a link on the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office website or call Stephanie Johnson at the Sheriff’s Office at 693-5420, if you need help getting signed up. He says this week is also a special week to recognize the work of our 911 dispatchers and to thank them.
 
Sheriff Cruze says the dispatchers have a stressful job which requires a lot of multi-tasking and they do a fantastic job. And, again – when it comes to severe weather, use common sense, pay attention, have a plan in place and act accordingly.