Severe Weather Preparedness Week: Tornado Safety

February 5th through 9th is the timetable Governor Nathan Deal has declared as ‘Severe Weather Preparedness Week’ this year to promote the importance of emergency awareness and to encourage all Georgia citizens to be ready for all severe weather-related events or other major emergencies.   

As in previous years, the State of Georgia has launched the ‘Ready Georgia’ campaign again this February to help provide all Georgia citizens with the tools and safety measures needed to prepare for casualty events and climate-related dangers and disasters. The ‘Ready Georgia’ app will show you how to custom-make three crucial safety preps for your family:

1.   "Be informed" about potential threats and protective measures for emergencies.

2.   "Make a plan" to communicate and reconnect with your family if you get separated. 

3.   "Build a kit" with enough emergency supplies to supply you and your family for at least 72 self-sufficient hours after a disaster.   

Previous severe weather events in Georgia have caused injuries and fatalities and resulted in substantial property damage, making it critical that Georgia families review their home preparedness plans and self-rescue procedures this week. It’s time to renew your familiarity and confidence in some basic measures for disaster survival away from home or for sheltering in place.

Commissioner Avery D. Niles urges all DJJ staff to participate in Georgia’s Severe Weather Preparedness program while launching the public education and preparation program schedule on Monday, February 5th, with Family Preparedness Day. See the ‘Severe Weather Preparedness Week’ Daily Safety Event Calendar for details.

Commissioner Avery D. Niles is personally committed to helping protect the DJJ Mission and dedicated to the success of Georgia’s at-risk youth through emergency awareness and agency readiness for all severe weather events and other major crises.

Wednesday, Feb. 7 – Tornado Safety and ‘PrepareAthon! Drill’ for tornado safety – Decide in advance where you will take shelter in case of a tornado warning.

Thursday, Feb. 8 – Lightning Safety – Learn the 30/30 rule: After seeing lightning, if you can’t count to 30 before hearing thunder, go indoors! For safety, stay indoors for 30 minutes after hearing the last clap of thunder.

Friday, Feb. 9 – Flood Safety – Copy your important documents, seal them in a watertight container and add them to your Ready kit.

The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice expresses its appreciation to GEMA, FEMA, and the Red Cross for sharing lifesaving information for this Severe Weather Preparedness campaign.

How to protect yourself and your family from tornadoes

Tornadoes have been reported throughout the state and throughout the year in Georgia, but tornadoes are most likely to occur from March to May, reaching a peak threat level in April. The best strategy to protect your family is to have a plan of action in place before this threatening weather develops. First, know the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning:

A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop, but there is no imminent threat.

A Tornado Warning means a tornado has been detected and an imminent threat to life and property has developed.

§  The Red Cross has a Tornado Safety Checklist available to help you make your plan before threatening weather develops.

§  It’s important to know your area, including the name of your county, to help you track storm reports from NOAA Weather Radio, local TV and radio, and the internet. Plan to have extra battery backup in case power is interrupted during these extended extreme weather events. Monitor area forecasts before you plan outdoor activities to know if threatening weather is predicted.

§  If a tornado is imminent and you’re inside a building or home, move to shelter on the lowest floor, such as a small interior room or basement. Get inside a closet, hallway, or bathroom and take cover under a sturdy piece of furniture. Remember to stay away from windows and put as many outside walls between you and the weather as possible. 

§  Do not try to outrun a tornado in your car. Get out of vehicles. If you are caught outside, lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression, cover your head and be aware of possible flooding. 

§  Mobile homes are not a safe place to be during severe weather. Leave a mobile home if a tornado is spotted approaching, and go to a storm shelter or the lowest floor of a sturdy nearby building.

Why tornadoes are so deadly

Tornadoes are a common occurrence in Georgia but dangerously hard to detect without meteorological warnings when wrapped in curtains of rain and hail, shielded by rolling terrain, or hidden by nightfall. Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air extending from a thunderstorm in contact with the ground and varying in size, shape, and intensity. Most tornadoes are weakly coiled, lasting only minutes and producing winds of less than 100 miles per hour. However, some tornadoes become strong and violent, lasting from 20 minutes to more than an hour and producing winds from 100 to 300 miles per hour.