Tornadoes are the most sudden,
unpredictable and violent storms on Earth.
Florida's annual statewide tornado drill is scheduled for
Wednesday, February 19. The drill gives Floridians a chance to realistically
test their plans and determine whether or not they are prepared.
In Florida, tornadoes strike all too often. Planning and
practice are keys to tornado safety. Whether in homes, schools, businesses,
places of worship or vehicles, Floridians should have plans for severe weather.
Then, they should practice their plans.
This is especially true in schools.
Here are the plans for the drill: The National Weather
Service will issue a practice TORNADO WATCH for the state at about 9 a.m. EST
Wednesday (If severe weather is actually threatening the state, the drill will
be postponed until Friday). For the Florida Panhandle counties within the Central
Time Zone, all drill activities will be repeated one hour later (9-10 a.m. Central
Standard Time).
A short time later, a practice TORNADO WARNING will be
issued by each National Weather Service office. The WARNING, like the WATCH,
will be broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio (Please note that these broadcast messages
will be encoded as a "Weekly Test" for this drill). Public and commercial
broadcasters are encouraged to participate by broadcasting these messages immediately.
In real life, you must listen to the WATCH and WARNING
messages and assess the threat to your area. Then you should decide which protective
actions to take. Schools, for example, should have a designated severe weather
coordinator to assess the threat and make appropriate decisions. For the tornado
drill, we suggest that the coordinator should assess the threat to their school
and make the decision to “take cover.” Important— when in
doubt, take immediate protective action!
Plans may vary depending on staffing, vulnerability, communications
and a host of other factors. All Floridians should use the tornado drill to
develop their plan and practice it. It may save lives!
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