Severe Weather Awareness Week will provide insight
With Ohio weather a hodgepodge of possibilities, Holmes County Emergency Management Agency officials are heavily promoting learning about what to do in every possible bad weather scenario during National Severe Weather Awareness Week.
Nasty weather is commonplace in Ohio, especially during spring when anything and everything Mother Nature can throw at Holmes County is possible on any given day. Creating a time of awareness of education will be the center of attention for the upcoming week in Holmes County.
March 17-21 is Severe Weather Awareness Week, and the Holmes County Emergency Management Agency team wants to promote safety in all types of inclement and threatening weather scenarios during the week.
According to Jason Troyer, Holmes EMA director, they will utilize several media avenues to share the information, already having promoted the week on WKLM Radio.
“The entire week the EMA will focus on various weather events,” Troyer said. “We already have done some PSAs.”
Monday, March 17 will focus on general information including how to receive emergency alerts via radio, WNS, the Sheriff app and more; creating a family plan; knowing the difference between watches and warnings; and what to do in case of a power outage.
Tuesday, March 18 will focus on flooding versus flash flooding issues and how hard it is to determine how deep and powerful water is on the roadway.
Wednesday, March 19 will turn the attention toward tornadoes and high-wind scenarios including a special event.
“Wednesday at 9:50 a.m., we will have a statewide Ohio siren test,” Troyer said.
In addition, the focal points will be becoming alert to flying debris, watches versus warnings, and finding safe refuge in the basement or an interior room with no windows.
Thursday, March 20 will feature a look at thunderstorms, which can induce heavy flooding, high winds, hail and lightening, the latter of which Troyer said was the leading cause of death in severe weather incidents.
Friday, March 21 will focus on power outages including developing a strong family emergency plan, generator safety, food safety and the importance of communication including cellphone charging information during an outage.