[Press Release] : FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Annual Statewide Tornado Drill on Tuesday, March 13, 2012

[Press Releases]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Zim Schwartze, Emergency Management Director
(573) 874-7400

Annual Statewide Tornado Drill on Tuesday, March 13, 2012

COLUMBIA, MO (March 12, 2012) - As part of this week's observance of "Severe Weather Awareness Week" in Missouri, the Columbia/Boone County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will participate in the annual statewide tornado drill on Tuesday, March 13th. The drill is scheduled to begin at approximately 1:30 p.m., at which time OEM will activate over 80 outdoor warning sirens across Boone County.  Residents are advised to use the drill as an opportunity to review disaster plans at home, work and school, and remember the role that outdoor sirens play in the early warning process. 

"We want everyone to realize and remember that the main purpose of our outdoor warning sirens is to warn people who are outside," says OEM Director Zim Schwartze.  "Residents who are in their homes or other buildings should not depend on outdoor warning sirens to alert them of approaching storms. That's why we strongly encourage everyone to purchase a NOAA weather radio for their home or business and stay tuned to local media whenever severe weather threatens our area." 

When a tornado warning is issued for any portion of Boone County, outdoor warning sirens are sounded for the entire county, regardless of the location of the threat, to avoid confusion. The sirens will only sound for three minutes and will only be activated again if a new threat is received or conditions drastically change.  In addition, the Office of Emergency Management will not issue an "all-clear" siren, when the threat has passed. This is left up to each individual to make that decision on when it is safe for them to move about again. 

In the event of threatening weather on March 13th, the statewide tornado drill will be postponed until Thursday, March 15th at 1:30pm.    

The Columbia/Boone County Office of Emergency Management encourages everyone to have a plan for what to do before, during and after a disaster. OEM has links to a number of publications addressing severe weather preparation on our website, www.gocolumbiamo.com/EM.


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