Advice for Severe Weather Week

February 28 through March 6 is Tennessee Severe Weather Week. There will be a statewide tornado drill at 9:30 a.m. (CT) Friday, March 5.
Some basic severe weather advice includes:
Never venture into high water, either on foot or in a vehicle.
If you’re outside and hear thunder, go indoors immediately.
Go to a basement or an innermost, first floor room in your home if you’re told to take shelter during a tornado warning.
Know the location of and route to your office or building’s tornado shelter.
Never try to outrun a tornado.
Have an emergency plan ready at places where your family spends time – work, school, daycare, commuting and outdoor events.
Emergency plans should include where to meet, and who family members should check in with, if you are separated from family members during a severe weather emergency.
TEMA’s ReadyTN mobile application, available for Apple and Android devices, provides emergency preparedness, response, and recovery information, with features including:
Basic emergency kit checklists and emergency checklists for special populations;
Detailed descriptions and information on the major hazards in Tennessee;
Notices of public alerts and warnings issued in Tennessee;
A regional list of local emergency management agency contacts by county
Traffic updates from the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s SmartWay resource;
Information on American Red Cross shelters that may be open near their locations in emergency situations; and,
Immediate visual notification on TEMA’s operational status and whether a State of Emergency exists.
A complete list of ReadyTN’s features, as well as direct links to download, is available on TEMA’s website at www.tn.gov/ ready-tn.html.
At a minimum, emergency preparedness kits should include one gallon of water per-day, per-person, and per-pet, for three to five days. The kit should also have enough non-perishable food for each family member, and pets, for three to five days.
Kits should also include: flashlight, battery-powered radio, extra batteries, first aid kit, personal hygiene items, cell phone charger or solar charger, and copies of important family documents.
Visit the Prepare section of TEMA’s website, https://www.tn.gov/tema/prepare.html, for more information on creating an emergency plan and building an emergency kit.