Severe Weather: Can You Rely on Local Weather Alerts?
Will You Be Warned When Severe Weather Arrives?
Whether you’re in the middle of spring, summer, fall or winter, there is always a risk for severe weather. From flash floods to tornadoes and everything in between, severe weather can be devastating and even deadly. Many of us find ourselves relying on our public weather alert systems to notify us when severe weather is on the way, but are these systems something you can rely on?
Mother Nature Waits for no Man
Let’s say it’s two in the afternoon and there’s a tornado on the way. Your television or radio will probably be on and you’ll see the local severe weather alert or you may even hear the weather siren blaring outside. You’ll know what’s coming and you’ll know what appropriate action to take.
Now let’s change the scenario. Instead of two in the afternoon, it’s two in the morning. You’re sound asleep and your television isn’t on. You’re most likely not going to be woken up by the outdoor weather siren since those sirens are usually only intended to notify people who are outdoors that severe weather is on the way so chances of you hearing the siren inside while you’re asleep are little to none. If you don’t know the severe weather is on the way, you really can’t protect yourself, can you?
Plan Ahead
If you’re concerned about keeping yourself and your family safe from severe weather, you may want to do a little planning. There are a number of services, including the Notify service offered by the Weather Channel, that will alert you when severe weather is approaching. I personally have a Notify subscription and for less than $60 a year, I get a phone call to my home phone, a phone call to my cell phone and an email to my inbox every time severe weather is heading towards me.
Plans for dealing with severe weather shouldn’t be taken lightly, and being notified when severe weather is coming plays a major part in proper severe weather preparation. It’s important to understand that public severe weather alerts may not always be as reliable as you would expect, so finding other means of severe weather notifications can mean the difference between life and death.