Drills across county remind all to prepare for severe weather
Published 8:48 am Thursday, March 3, 2016
Star Photo/Rebekah Price
Residents at Pine Ridge wait for the Code Orange (tornado drill) to be cleared to return to their rooms.
Knowing where to go, how to fortify your home, and how to protect yourself and family during severe weather may mean the difference between life and death. As part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, the Carter County Emergency Management Agency organized a tornado drills at area schools and nursing homes to ensure that residents and students know how to respond safely and efficiently.
“It is imperative that individuals, families, businesses, and communities be ready now before severe weather is upon them,” said Deputy Commissioner David Purkey of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA). “We are pleased to have so many State departments, county emergency officials and private sector partners working with TEMA to push out information, resources and tools to make it easy to get prepared.”
As part of a statewide tornado drill Wednesday morning, residents of Pine Ridge Care and Rehabilitation Center evacuated their rooms and staff placed padding over exterior doors and closed interior doors. Residents were offered blankets and updates over the intercom. Staff marked each room as having been evacuated to ensure that each resident was safe.
Especially in homes with pets, children or seniors, EMA Training Director Billy Harrell said to make sure everyone is properly evacuated to a safe place.
Harrell advised that in the event of a tornado, people take immediate shelter and get to the lowest, most central part of a building. He said if there is time, covering windows and then staying in rooms without windows or exterior doors is preferable. Additionally, taking a flashlight and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) radio may be helpful.
Though Carter County is located in the Appalachians, they do not always deter tornadoes from touching down. Since 1989, four tornadoes have touched down here, with the largest of those being 80 miles wide and 9.5 miles long, which caused three injuries.
For many severe weather emergency, some basic precautionary measures can save time and lives.
Map/National Weather Service
The paths on the map represent the tornado tracks of the four tornadoes from 1989 to 2011. A dot represents where a tornado touched down and the two lines show the paths the tornadoes followed once on the ground. In Southwest Carter County, in 2011, the F0 tornado traveled almost a mile, while the F1 tornado of 1998 in northeast Carter County traveled 9.5 miles and crossed the Johnson County line.
The National Weather Service provided tips for preparedness and proper reaction.
• Never venture into high water, either on foot or in a vehicle.
• If you’re outside and hear thunder, go indoors immediately.
• Know the location of and route to your office or building’s tornado shelter.
• Never try to outrun a tornado.
• Have an emergency plan ready at places where your family spends time: work, school, daycare, commuting and outdoor events.
• Emergency plans should include where to meet, and who family members should check in with, if you are separated from family members during a severe weather emergency.
• The website, www.ready.gov, has fill-in-the-blank plans available so individuals and families can assemble the information needed in a personal emergency plan.
Additional, Carter County EMA Director Gary Smith encourages everyone to register for the new Everbridge mass notification system, which alerts residents to severe weather and may be personalized to send alerts during certain hours and only to certain devices. An application is available for iPhone and Android which gives the full detail of each alert. To register for the program, visit https://member.everbridge.net/index/453003085613190#/login. For more information or questions, contact the EMA office at 423-542-1888.
