Friday, March 20, 2009

The Wizard of Oz post from Arlington County.

I'm sorry but I thought this was hilarious. I don't think of Arlington as part of Tornado Alley...but I could be wrong. Here's what they posted on the Arlington site:

Unlike hurricane season, there is no "tornado season," and no part of the Commonwealth is safe from tornadoes. Tornadoes have struck in every part of Virginia in every month of the year.

Be prepared, make a plan

The general rule for tornado safety is "go low and stay low,” which means go to the lowest level of the structure -- away from windows -- and crouch in a low position with your head covered.

Tornado watch means current weather conditions may result in a tornado.

Tornado warning means a tornado has been sighted. If a tornado warning has been issued for your area, you should take cover immediately.

The majority of tornadoes occur between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Think of where you would normally be during that time…at school, work, home, or in the car. You may only have a few seconds to react. Decide NOW where you would go if a tornado warning were issued.

Tornadoes can occur with little or no advance warning. It is important to have a weather radio nearby so you can listen for tornado and other severe weather watches and warnings. If the National Weather service issues a tornado warning for Arlington, your weather radio will sound an alert, indicating that you need to move to a safe area immediately.

Other steps you can take

Sign up for Arlington Alert to receive free emergency messages within seconds to pagers, cell phones and e-mail. This is a great way to receive emergency information and critical safety messages when you need them most. Alerts are also available in Spanish.

Pre-set your battery operated radio to 1700 AM Arlington for up to date emergency information including weather emergencies.

Learn more about tornadoes from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. Check the section devoted solely to tornado safety and preparedness.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Cupcake couldn't resist adding a little something to this post.

Check it out.