“Well, I Reckon…” it’s tornado season: are you prepared?

Living in the south as we do, where the four seasons can easily turn into only two from time to time, it’s always a good idea to consider what you need to do in order to keep yourself and your family safe during severe weather. Severe weather conditions can quickly escalate, spawning multiple tornadoes in the blink of an eye. 

Read on for severe weather safety tips and to find out what your neighbors are doing when faced with dangerous weather.

Melissa Sewell, Pontotoc

“We watch Matt Laubhan and when he says get in our safe place, by golly we listen to it like gospel truth!” – Melissa Sewell

Tasha Quhshi, Ripley

“I have to admit that I am very negligent in emergency preparations. I usually wait until there’s an alert and then proceed with what I deem to be the best course of action. I tend to rely on the procedures I learned in school which entails going to our safe place and covering with blankets and pillows and such. My negligence should not be construed as a lack of care but rather a failure to plan appropriately due to an oversight on my priorities list. Simply put, I don’t mean to have a shoulda, coulda, woulda approach but busy life happens and I don’t think of it until there’s an actual need for it.” – Tasha Quhshi, (not pictured)Ripley, MS

Sherry Whitlock, Jericho Community

“I prepare for bad weather by ensuring I have plenty of candles if the electricity goes out. I send my children and my mom to my aunt’s storm shelter if we are under a tornado warning, but I always just ride the storm out at home. I don’t want to leave our pets. It’s hard enough to get two children and an invalid mom to safety. I can’t wrangle two cats and two dogs too.” – Sherry Whitlock

Tim and Josiah Dillard, New Albany

My family lives in an underground house.  The only thing we have to worry about is if glass breaks and is blown around.  As in all houses, there are some safer places that others.  Ours is the bathroom.  We often discuss that the bathroom is the go to place during bad weather.  We also stay alert and listen for the tornado sirens.  Other than that, we try to keep broken limbs pulled out of trees to prevent damage to our vehicles.” – Tim Dillard

Steve Hall, East Union

“We pray, we have a weather radio, we listen to Matt Labhaun, and we go to the storm shelter. You got to stay alert and in swift motion.” – Steve Hall

TIPS ON STORM PREPAREDNESS:

• Sign up for Union County’s CodeRED telephone warning system:

CodeRED: is a FREE telephone warning system for all residents of Union County, available since February 2012. About 70% of the county residents have signed up; if you are in the 30% not yet connected to the system, go to the Three Rivers Planning and Development District for information and to sign up (look for CodeRed on menu at top of page): www.trpdd.com  or call 662-489-2415 for more information.

• If you are at home during a tornado:

-Go to a windowless interior room on lowest level of your house. Go to a storm cellar or basement if your house has one. If there is no basement, go to an inner hallway or a smaller inner room without windows, such as a bathroom or closet.

-Get away from the windows.

-Go to the center of the room. Stay away from corners because they tend to attract debris.

-Get under a piece of sturdy furniture such as a workbench or heavy table or desk and hold on to it.

-Use pillows or mattresses for protection; if not available, use your arms to protect head and neck

-If you are in a mobile home, get out and find shelter elsewhere.

• Union County Emergency Management Director Curt Clayton provided the following list of available storm shelters. Know the location of the nearest storm shelter:

-If you are located in the city limits, you may seek shelter on the bottom level of the New Albany Police Station.

-Southeast Fire Station #1, County Road 274, New Harmony – 2 shelters

-Southeast Fire Station #2, County Road 278, Beacon Hill (behind old flea market) – 2 shelters

-East Union Fire Station #2, Intersection of County Road 194 and 197, Fairfield – 6 shelters

-East Union Fire Station #1, Hwy 9 and 348, Ellistown – 2 shelters

-Town of Blue Springs, Hwy 9, near City Hall – 4 shelters

-Alpine Fire Department, Hwy 9 and County Road 171 – 4 shelters

-Ingomar Fire Station #2, off Martintown Road – 2 shelters

-Pinedale Fire Department, off County Road 32 – 2 shelters

-Northeast Fire Station #1, off Hwy 30, Pleasant Ridge – 2 shelters

-Northeast Fire Station #2, off Hwy 20, Keownville – 2 shelters

If you have tips to add or questions to ask on this or any other topic, send them via the Comments section below or the NAnewsweb.com T.C.B PAGE.