Sedgwick County Emergency Management is reminding residents about the statewide Tornado Drill that will occur at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 8th. Emergency Management normally tests the outdoor warning sirens Mondays at noon, however they did not sound on Monday, March 7th. The outdoor warning sirens in the statewide drill on the 8th will sound for a full 5 minutes.
As a part of the drill, Sedgwick County has some suggestions for residents:
Identify a shelter location in your business, home, or neighborhood.
Tune into local media outlets if there is a chance for severe weather, and take shelter if a severe storm is headed in your direction.
Those without an adequate shelter location in their home, and everyone who lives in manufactured housing, will need to identify a location off-site where they will seek shelter from storms.
Ensure your selected shelter location has relevant supplies stored there for emergency use. Build or buy a disaster kit that you can keep in your shelter. You need basic provisions such as non-perishable food, drinking water, a flashlight and radio, with extra batteries for both, and a battery phone charger. Think about including specialty needs items like prescription meds, baby formula and diapers, and pet care items.
If you are caught outdoors, driving, or away from home when the storm hits try to get inside a reinforced shelter if you can find one. If none is available, get out of your vehicle and get as low as possible, preferably in a ditch; cover your head and hang onto anything sturdy.
Avoid seeking shelter under highway overpasses. These can act as wind tunnels and can be more dangerous than being low to the ground in an open area. Plus, multiple cars parked under bridges lead to accidents and clog the road, preventing emergency workers from getting through.
For more information about tornado threats, visit weather.gov/safety/tornado.