Severe weather season on way

The severe weather season is approaching, and high winds, heavy rains, and tornadoes are possible.

via Northwest Herald | Severe weather season on way.

Spring is a great time of year but it can also be a dangerous time.  The best way to keep out of this danger is by being aware of severe weather heading your way.  Here are a few things we suggest you have to help keep your family safe during the storm season:

• Severe Weather Alerts from the Weather Channel.  This is a free service and you will get an email and/or text message when dangerous weather conditions are heading your way.  We have found that we get these alerts, for tornado warnings, 5-10 minutes before the tornado sirens sound.  You can pay for their premium service that  alerts you by phone call also (disclaimer:  we haven’t used the phone call alerts as the email/text message alerts have been sufficient for us).
• A good weather radio (example).  The best ones have an alert mode which means that the radio is on but you hear nothing until there is an alert.  Then you will hear a tone and the alert message.  Some CB radios also have this feature.  Once again, we have found that the weather radios have notified us of  tornado warning about 5 minutes before the tornado sirens sound.   There are handheld units and some FRS haldheld radios also have these weather features.  These are especially good when you are enjoying the outdoors.

In the event of a tornado, minutes can make a huge difference in getting to safety, don’t rely only on the local tornado sirens to protect your family.  Here at JIGILS Enterprises, we use all of these, just to be sure.

Also, make sure you have emergency supplies on hand.  Ready.gov has great information on what supplies you should have ready at all times.