Virginia’s statewide tornado drill is set for Thursday morning at 9:45. Jason Elmore with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management says the drill is in line with a monthly, required test of the EAS.
“This will only go out through the Emergency Alert System, so you won’t get a text message via your phone," he says. "It will be on your radio stations, as well as your TV and also on a weather radio if you have it.”
Elmore says the drill is a good opportunity to be ready for the spring and summer months, when severe weather like tornadoes and hail are more prevalent. That includes getting accurate information from sources like the National Weather Service and knowing what to do in the event of an actual tornado warning.
“Do you have a basement if you get a tornado warning? If you don’t have a basement, knowing the place in your house that you can go that’s an interior room without windows – those types of things," he says. "That’s all part of your emergency plan.”
Elmore adds that plan doesn’t have to be complex or even written down. It’s just something that you and your loved ones know if a tornado is nearby.
The annual drill is part of Severe Weather Preparedness Week, a collaboration with the National Weather Service to remind, refresh memories and educate Virginians about the seasonal threats from severe weather and how to avoid them.
Next week, March 10th through the 16th, has also been delegated as Flood Awareness Week by Governor Glenn Youngkin — another effort meant to help Virginians prepare for what officials say is the most common natural disaster in the Commonwealth.
