Valley takes part in state wide tornado drill
As part of Severe Weather Safety Awareness Week, Ohio conducted its annual tornado drill on Wednesday.
MAHONING COUNTY, Ohio - As part of Severe Weather Safety Awareness Week, Ohio conducted its annual tornado drill on Wednesday.
At 9:50 a.m. warning sirens were activated across Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
"We only activate the sirens for tornado warnings. They are activated for three minutes during a warning and reactivated every 10 minutes for the duration of the warning," said Dennis O'Hara, Mahoning County Emergency Management Director.
There was a miscue in Mahoning County. The sirens sounded for only one minute instead of three minutes. O'Hara says someone at the dispatch center just pushed the wrong test button.
O'Hara says the main purpose of the county-wide sirens is to get people's attention.
"It's to notify the public to turn to the media, on your radio, check the apps on your phone, or turn on the TV," said O'Hara.
WFMJ Chief Meteorologist Eric Wilhelm suggests a good place to turn is the new Storm Tracker 21 app.
"The new Storm Tracker 21 app includes audible alerts if a tornado warning is issued. So if you hear a tornado siren that's your call to get more information," Wilhelm said.
O'Hara and Wilhelm both recommend a NOAH weather alert radio because you may not always hear a siren from inside your house. When it comes to safety, the national weather service says remember to DUCK.
It stands for:
- Go DOWN to the lowest level;
- Get UNDER something;
- COVER your head;
- KEEP in shelter until the storm has passed.
Wilhelm says it's always best to be prepared because the Valley gets its share of dangerous storms, including tornadoes.
"In Mahoning County we get a handful of tornadoes every decade. Fortunately, we haven't had too many in recent years," he said.
The worst local storm on record was a deadly F-5 twister on May 31 1985.
