Expert says being prepared is key in Severe Weather

Emergency management officials say the old Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared” is a good one when talking about how severe weather can affect us. As part of Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa, National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Johnson says Iowans should talk over with their families where they’d take refuge if a tornado warning is issued. If you set a place ahead of time where you’d go in your home, then there won’t be a panic when the sirens sound and everyone will know where they’ll meet. Johnson says you need to find a place in your home that will best survive a tornado. He says get to the lowest level and into a small room in the center of the structure with no external exposure. For folks in mobile homes, Johnson says to find someplace else for shelter to ride out the storm. Johnson says a number of people last year also learned the need to prepare for the possibility of flooding. A statewide tornado drill is planned for this morning (Thursday). The drill had been planned for Wednesday but the possibility of -actual- severe weather forced its postponement. For more information about Severe Weather Awareness Week, surf to “www.nws.noaa.gov”.