Press Release

Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor William C. Burke, Director

IEMA and National Weather Service encourage people to use life-saving weather radios as spring storm season approaches

Severe Weather Preparedness Week is March 5-11

SPRINGFIELD – Tornadoes can strike at anytime, day or night, but can be especially deadly in the middle of the night when many people are asleep. As Illinois observes Severe Weather Preparedness Week March 5-11, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) are reminding people that weather radios save lives by providing round-the-clock alerts of imminent dangers.

“The late night tornado that struck Evansville, Indiana in November took the lives of many sleeping people who didn’t know this deadly storm was approaching,” said IEMA Director William C. Burke. “A weather radio could have alerted them to the danger and given them time to seek shelter. That’s why I strongly encourage everyone to get a weather radio and keep it on throughout the year.”

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby weather service office. NWR broadcasts warning, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day. Besides weather information, NWR also broadcasts warnings and post-event information for all types of hazards, including natural, environmental and public safety hazards, such as earthquakes, chemical spills and AMBER alerts.

Many weather radios offer Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME), which can be programmed to only alert for warnings in your specific area. The six-digit county code for your area can be found at www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/indexnw.hts#sametable. It is important to choose a weather radio with a battery back-up and tone-alert feature. Weather radios cost between $30- $60 and are available at many home improvement, electronics and general merchandise stores.

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“While tornadoes and severe storms are most common in the spring and early summer months, the Evansville tornado is proof that they can happen anytime of the year,” said Burke. “A weather radio is much like a smoke alarm – it can wake you up and alert you to approaching danger in time to seek shelter.”

There were only 18 tornadoes and no deaths or injuries reported during 2005, far fewer than Illinois’ average of 38 tornadoes per year. However, 80 tornadoes occurred in Illinois in 2004, resulting in nine deaths and 23 injuries. In 2003, there were two deaths and 81 injuries caused by a record-setting 120 tornadoes.

“Nearly one-third of all tornadoes and more than 40 percent of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and large hail strike Illinois during the night,” said Chris Miller, warning coordinator for the NWS in Lincoln. “It is imperative that someone in each home and business monitor weather conditions at night when severe weather watches and warnings are in effect. A weather radio is the most effective way to do this.”

Besides tornadoes, spring and early summer in Illinois also bring severe thunderstorms and flooding. Severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes, damaging winds, lightning, hail and heavy rain, all of which can cause death, injuries and property damage. Since 1990, lightning has killed 25 people in Illinois, and in 2001, the state ranked second in the nation for lightning fatalities.

While many people don’t consider floods as dangerous as tornadoes, flooding is the number one severe weather killer nationwide. The most dangerous type of flooding is a flash flood, which can sweep away everyone and everything in its path. Fourteen people in Illinois have died from flash floods since 1995, and most victims were in vehicles.

IEMA and NWS developed a Severe Weather Preparedness Guide, which contains information and tips on how to keep you and your family safe when a storm approaches and what actions to take following a severe storm, tornado or flood. The guide is available on the IEMA website at www.state.il.us/iema or by calling (217) 785-9888. Some tips include:

Tornadoes

• Before bad weather occurs, determine the best location in your home and office to seek shelter. A basement or cellar will usually provide the best protection. If not available, identify an interior room or hallway with no windows on the lowest level. • When a tornado warning has been issued, go at once to your predetermined shelter. In a basement, go under the stairs, a heavy piece of furniture or a workbench. Stay there until danger has passed. • In a mobile home, get out and seek shelter elsewhere. If there isn’t a substantial shelter nearby, seek shelter in a low-lying area and shield your head with your hands. • In public places, avoid areas with wide-span roofs, such as auditoriums, cafeterias, gymnasiums and large hallways. Stay away from windows.

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Thunderstorms

• Avoid using the telephone or other electrical appliances and delay baths or showers until the storm passes. • If outdoors, seek shelter immediately. If you can hear thunder, you are probably close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning. • If outside without immediate shelter, find a low spot away from trees and power poles where you can squat low to the ground. Make yourself the smallest target possible.

Flooding

• Know how to shut off electricity, gas and water at main switches and valves and be prepared to do so if instructed by local authorities. Know where gas pilots are located and how the heating system works. • Never attempt to drive over a flooded roadway. The speed and depth of the water is not always obvious and portions of the road under the water may have been washed out. • Never let children play in or near floodwaters, flooded creeks or flood retention ponds.

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