Preparedness is the key when weather is severe

By David Skolnick

Tornadoes can strike quickly, so preparedness is important.

YOUNGSTOWN — Do you know what to do when a tornado approaches?

Sometimes there’s little to be done but run to your basement. Or, if you’re outside, quickly find indoor shelter or run into a ditch.

That’s because a tornado can hit with little or no advance warning, said Gary Garnet, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

“Even with our advanced technology, tornadoes can still strike quickly,” he said.

Though a tornado can develop rather quickly, being prepared is vital, said Tamara McBride, an Ohio Emergency Management spokesman in Columbus.

“Preparedness is on the decline even with 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina,” she said. “We should be learning from other states to be prepared. Being prepared and not panicking are the key points.”

If you’re in a building, go to a pre-designated shelter area such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar or the lowest level. If there’s no basement, go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level.

If outside, find a nearby building or storm shelter. If there is none, lie in a nearby ditch.

April to July are the peak months for tornadoes in Ohio, usually between 2 and 10 p.m., McBride said.

State and county EMAs, the National Weather Service and others want to draw attention to how to prepare for tornadoes as part of Ohio’s Severe Weather Awareness Week that begins today.

As part of the week, a statewide tornado drill will occur at 9:50 a.m. Wednesday. Emergency sirens will blast for three minutes.

Typically the statewide tornado drill occurs when kids are in school. But most schools in the Mahoning Valley are closed Wednesday.

The drill will allow families to either practice their emergency plans at home or to create one, said Dennis O’Hara, Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency planner.

“Tornadoes don’t only happen when kids are in school,” he said. “It’s the perfect opportunity to take a look at your family’s plan.”

The drill isn’t just for those at home, O’Hara said.

“It’s a good time for companies to inform their employees about their emergency plans,” he said.

Garnet will hold a free training session at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Austintown Fitch High School’s auditorium on how to recognize approaching storms and tornadoes. The event, open to the public, is sponsored by Mahoning County Skywarn, a volunteer organization of weather spotters.

Ohio averages about 16 tornadoes a year, primarily occurring in the western portion of the state, Garnet said.

There were 10 tornadoes in the state last year, he said.

The last tornado in the Mahoning Valley was July 21, 2003, in Youngstown, Garnet said.

That tornado, with winds of up to 110 mph, caused more than $1 million in damage to businesses and houses on the city’s East Side. It also uprooted numerous trees.

The May 31, 1985, tornado outbreak in Trumbull County and western Pennsylvania is the most memorable severe weather disaster in recent history.

That series of tornadoes, with winds as high as 300 mph, killed 18 people, including nine in Niles, and caused several million dollars in damage.

skolnick@vindy.com