City urges residents to prepare for tornadoes

With tornado season upon us, the City of Greencastle is encouraging residents to be prepared for tornadoes and the havoc these extreme weather events unleash on communities.

According to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Indiana has verified more than 1,400 tornadoes since 1950, resulting in more than 5,000 injuries and 300 fatalities.

The city is sharing important information from FEMA to ensure residents understand the risk to public safety when a funnel cloud forms. This includes finding safe shelter right away when a tornado warning is issued and staying put until the tornado passes or the warning is lifted.

FEMA also recommends three key strategies:

• Prepare Now by knowing the area’s tornado risk and signs of a tornado, signing up for emergency warning systems and identifying a location at home, work or school for safe shelter during a tornado. Invest in a battery-operated weather radio.

• Survive During by taking additional cover shielding the head and neck and monitoring emergency management systems. If outdoors or in a vehicle and cannot get to a sturdy building, find a low-lying or protected area and cover the head, neck and body.

• Be Safe After by monitoring local emergency news systems, staying clear of fallen power or broken utility lines, staying away from damaged buildings and saving phone calls for emergencies. Residents should use text messaging or social media to communicate with family and friends to preserve batteries in electronic devices.

In Greencastle, the county emergency network can be accessed at https://tinyurl.com/pbpft94b. In an emergency, the city also will make every effort to keep its Facebook page updated with key information. Residents can also tune into the NOAA All Hazards Radio Station, WXK-72 at Putnamville at 162.400 MHz on a weather radio.

The Putnam County Emergency Management Agency has an Emergency Notification System that provides phone calls and texts in the event of an emergency such as a tornado. The National Weather Service also can provide weather warning information through its “Weather warnings on the go!” program that can be found at https://www.weather.gov/wrn/wea

“Tornadoes can happen anytime, anywhere, which is why we encourage all residents to be prepared so they are fully protected in an emergency,” Greencastle Fire Chief John Burgess said. “Now is the time to check the batteries in your weather radio, stock up on non-perishable food, water and develop a safety plan because in Indiana, it’s not a question of if a tornado will strike, it is a question of when.”

Residents also can visit https://www.in.gov/dhs/get-prepared/nature-safety/severe-weather-preparedness/to... for more information.