September 21, 2018

DJJ and National Preparedness Month: Tornado Safety and Awareness

September is the peak of Hurricane Season when Georgia observes ‘National Preparedness Month’ to raise awareness for severe weather emergencies. National Preparedness Month (NPM) is designed by the Department of Homeland Security to reminds us that we all must prepare ourselves and our families, now and throughout the year, by becoming familiar with the lifesaving lessons taught by the ‘Ready Campaign’.

This year’s National Preparedness Month focuses on emergency and disaster planning, with an overreaching theme: ‘Disasters Happen. Prepare Now. Learn How’. The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) places special interest in the campaign because this state is no stranger to severe weather emergencies that can endanger us where we work and live.

Having a plan and knowing the appropriate actions to take during a disaster or emergency can provide life-saving help for families to plan ahead for unforeseeable disasters. The Office of Communications, together with our partners in Planning and Preparedness covered several relevant disaster survival topics this week as part of National Preparedness Month. We conclude this severe weather series with Tornado Safety and Awareness. 

DJJ also expresses its appreciation to the Department of Homeland Security for sharing lifesaving information for this National Preparedness Month campaign.

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                      DJJ and National Preparedness Month: Tornado Safety and Awareness

Tornadoes wield nature’s power to destroy buildings, flip cars and to weaponize peaceful landscapes into deadly flying debris. Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that follow the paths of powerful thunderstorms to the ground below. Tornadoes can: 

  • Occur anytime and anywhere
  • Bring intense, 200 MPH winds and
  • Look like twisting funnel clouds

If your community is under a tornado warning, seek safe shelter immediately:

  • Take shelter in a sturdy building
  • Go to a safe room, basement, or storm cellar
  • If you are sheltering in a building without a basement, get to a small interior room on the lowest level
  • Stay away from windows, doors and outside walls
  • Do not shelter under a bridge or overpass. You’re safer in a low, flat location
  • Watch out for flying debris that can cause injury or death
  • Use your arms to protect your head and neck

Prepare now:

  • Know the tornado risk for your area. The American Midwest and the Southeast have the greatest risk for tornadoes
  • Know the signs of a tornado, including a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud; an approaching cloud of debris; or a loud roar— that sounds similar to a freight train rumbling louder than a rock concert
  • Sign up for your community’s early warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts. If your community has sirens, become familiar with the warning tone
  • Pay attention to weather reports. Meteorologists can predict when conditions may be right for a tornado
  • Identify and practice going to a safe shelter location in the event of high winds. Next to a safe room built using FEMA criteria or a storm shelter built to FEMA standards, the best protection is a small, interior, windowless room on the lowest level of a sturdy building
  • Consider constructing your own safe room that meets FEMA standards

Surviving during a tornado:

  • Immediately shelter in a safe location that you have pre-located and identified
  • Take additional cover by shielding your head and neck with your arms and putting materials such as furniture and blankets around you
  • Listen to EAS, NOAA Weather Radio or local alert systems for current emergency information and instructions
  • Do not try to outrun a tornado in a vehicle
  • If you are in a car or outdoors and cannot get to a building, cover your head and neck with your arms and cover your body with a coat or blanket if possible

Staying safe after a tornado:

  • Keep listening to EAS, NOAA Weather Radio and local authorities for updated information
  • If you become trapped, cover your mouth with a cloth or mask to avoid breathing dust. Try to send a text, bang on a pipe or wall, or use a whistle instead of shouting
  • Stay clear of fallen power lines or broken utility poles
  • Do not enter damaged buildings until they are cleared by First Responders and you are told they are safe
  • Save your phone calls for emergencies. Phone systems are often down or busy following a disaster. Use text messaging or social media to communicate with family and friends instead
  • Be careful during clean-up. Wear thick-soled shoes, long pants and work gloves for your protection against submerged hazards, contaminated water and threat of insect or rodent bites

Commissioner Avery D. Niles urges all DJJ staff to remain vigilant for severe weather hazards. Natural disasters are frequently unpredictable, but you can stay a step ahead of dangerous conditions by making time in advance to be prepared to help yourself, your family and community.

“Because it’s been proven that you revert back to your training when a disaster strikes,” DJJ Commissioner Avery D. Niles said.  “Families should sit down together this month to discuss their home preparedness plans and self-rescue procedures before they’re ever needed, ” Commissioner Niles said.

Georgia faced a significant tornado outbreak in January 2017, when a record-breaking number of tornados terrorized much of central and southern Georgia.  According to DJJ Fire Marshal Scott Cagle, “Emergency awareness and agency preparedness are major priorities for this department. Standing ready for all types of disasters makes stressful situations much easier to handle when they do come,” Cagle said.

  • How will your family receive emergency alerts and warnings?
  • What is your family shelter plan?
  • Does your family have a communication plan?
  • Do you know the evacuation routes in your area?
  • These are all critical items to consider in your family preparedness plan.

Fire Marshal Cagle encourages DJJ staff to contact the closest members of the department’s Office of Planning and Preparedness with specific questions about home preparedness or work related preparedness situations:

National Preparedness Month (NPM) was developed by the Department of Homeland Security as a reminder that we all must prepare ourselves, now and throughout the year, by becoming familiar with the lifesaving lessons taught by the ‘Ready Campaign’.  Remember, if your community is under a tornado warning, seek shelter immediately. Tornados can occur anywhere, anytime with very little warning. ‘Disasters Happen. Prepare Now. Learn How’.