Tornados
Lately, many citizens have been concerned with tornados because of all the coverage storms such as the one in Joplin, Missouri have been getting. The fact is, tornados here in NC are different than the tornados out west. Our tornados are generally smaller (but still can be very devastating), short lived, and not easy to predict until they are on the ground and reported by the public or weather spotters.
Therefore, if people wait until a tornado warning is issued, they may not have but a few minutes to take action.
Emergency management offices around the state strive to educate the public that the best course of action is to plan ahead and know what you are going to do BEFORE it happens. People who live in stick built homes should go to the most interior room of the house on the lowest level floor and cover up to protect your head from falling debris. People in mobile homes are actually safer outside in a low lying area or ditch. We encourage those in mobile homes to try to make arrangements with friends/family/neighbors, so that when tornadoes and severe storms are predicted, they can go there and wait until the threat is over.
Many experts say one of the most important things to do is to have a way to get notified of bad weather. You can get a decent NOAA Weather Radio for less than $30, and they are programmable to activate like an alarm clock when severe weather is coming into your county.
There are also websites such as www.mystateusa.com that you can register to receive text alerts for bad weather.
There are many more tips online at www.readync.org.
