Office: (303) 835.2258
Severe Weather and How to be Prepared!!!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 21, 2011
CONTACT:
Rebecca Martinez, Office of Emergency Management, 303-655-2316
Jodie Carroll, Media Relations, 303-655-2061
Tornado season is upon us; be prepared
Most tornadoes occur between May and July in Colorado. The city of Brighton’s Office of Emergency
Management would like to remind residents about safety tips and personal preparedness.
Tornado Safety Tips:
When a Tornado Watch is announced, it means conditions are present for a tornado.
Keep a radio/TV tuned for further information, and gather emergency supplies.
When a Tornado Warning is issued, it means a tornado has been sighted or is imminent. Take
shelter immediately.
If you are at home
Go to your basement. If you do not have a basement, go to an interior hallway or small interior
room on the lowest floor.
Avoid windows.
Do not remain in a trailer or mobile home if a tornado is approaching. Take cover elsewhere.
If you are at work
Go to an interior hallway on the lowest floor, or a designated shelter.
Avoid windows.
If you are at school
Follow instructions of authorities/teachers.
Stay out of structures with wide, free-span roofs like auditoriums and gyms.
If you are in a car or outside
Seek cover in a nearby building, or lie flat in a ditch or ravine.
Personal Preparedness Tips:
Know the dangers/hazards that affect your area.
Know what to do prior to the sirens sounding.
Purchase a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio for your
home.
Have a 72-hour emergency kit (for details, visit www.brightonco.gov and click on “Emergency
Management” under the “Department” link and then click on “Residents.”
Take a preparedness class. The city offers classes on a regular basis including Community
Emergency Response Training (CERT), Be Ready, Severe Weather Awareness, Storm Spotter
and CPR. For more information, visit www.brightonco.gov and click on “Emergency
Management” under the “Departments” link.
Sign-up for the Brighton Alert System, a free, real-time weather and news headline application
that resides on your desktop and keeps you posted on local current conditions, weather alerts,
breaking news and news content. To sign-up, visit www.brightonco.gov and click on
“Emergency Management” under the “Departments” link.
The Office of Emergency Management conducts a monthly Outdoor Warning Siren test on the first
Wednesday of each month which is intended to ensure that all systems and procedures are working
properly. The tests also promote public awareness of the warning sirens located throughout the
city. The public is not expected to take any action in conjunction with the testing but we encourage
residents to walk through their response.
Electrical Protection
On March 13th, 2011 the time will move forward by 1 hour. Rule of thumb is to replace your smoke detector batteries every 6 months and when the time changes is a great reminder to do it. If your smoke detectors are 10 years old or older the Fire Protection Agency recommends you replace them. Dont forgot Colorado State Law requires 1 Carbon Monoxide detector on every level of your home and 1 within 15 feet of any bedroom. Most people are not aware of this but CO2 poising is very serious and is a leading cause of DEATH in the United States.
With Spring comes lightning strikes and that means power surges in your home. If your house is hit by lightning there isn't much you can do except call your insurance company. What most people dont know is that wether your public service company is United Power, Excel Energy or IREA your home will get hundreds or even thousands of very small power surges a day, thats right A DAY! You probably hear 'they dont make things they way they used to', but that is not always true. Years ago we did not consume as much power as we do today. The difference is power surges will cut the life of any electronic equipment by half or more. The only way to really protect your electronics is to use a surge strip, but what about your electrical wiring? Yes power surges will slowly damage electrical wiring as well. The only way to protect your wiring is with a Whole House Surge Arrestor. This device mounts on your electrical panel and will stop any power surges from entering your home. This will protect and extend the life of your electronics and wiring.
Tornado Safety Tips
If you are at home:
* Go to your basement.
* If you have no basement, go to an interior hallway or small interior room on the the lowest floor.
* Avoid windows.
* Do not remain in a trailer or mobile home if a tornado is approaching. Take cover elsewhere.
If you are at work:
* Go to an interior hallway on the lowest floor, or a designated shelter.
* Avoid windows.
If you are at school:
* Follow instructions of authorities/teachers.
* Stay out of structures with wide free-span roofs like auditoriums and gyms.
If you are in a car or outside:
* Seek cover in a nearby building, or lie flat in a ditch or ravine.
Mitigation Tips for tornadoes
* Colorado communities, and in particular eastern plains communities, must prepare and educate residents for the possibility of tornadoes - especially in May, June, and July.
* Mobile home parks should require tie-downs and provide alternate shelter for residents.
* Communities can purchase warning systems and individuals can purchase inexpensive tone-activated radios.
* Construction restrictions should place an emphasis on designs that can withstand tornados and other high winds.
Severe Weather Information
This year, Severe Weather Awareness Week will be observed in Colorado on April 11-17. The National Weather Service <http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=bou&storyid=50562&source=0> , in cooperation with the Colorado Broadcasters Association <http://www.coloradobroadcasters.org/> , will initiate a statewide tornado drill on Wednesday, April 14, between 9:00 a.m. and 11 a.m. using the Emergency Alert System (EAS) <http://www.fcc.gov/pshs/services/eas/> and NOAA weather radios. A TEST TORNADO WARNING will be issued by each area office of the National Weather Service including Boulder, Pueblo, Grand Junction and Goodland, KS.
This will be an excellent time for businesses, schools, hospitals, members of the media and emergency management agencies to participate in the drill and test their communications plans and procedures. During the test times, or anytime during the week, everyone should review and exercise their family communication plans, emergency plans and check their emergency kits. For more information on specific preparedness steps you can take in Colorado, check out the READYColorado <http://readycolorado.com/> site and, to put your prep in context, be sure to learn more about Colorado Tornado History <http://coemergency.blogspot.com/2010/03/colorado-tornado-history.html> .
According to the National Weather Service <http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=bou&storyid=50562&source=0> ,44 tornados were reported to officials across the state, with nearly 700 reports of hail, severe wind and flash floods. In 2008, a large and damaging tornado raced through Weld County and the Town of Windsor. For thunderstorm hazards including tornadoes, flash floods, large hail and damaging winds, the National Weather Service offices will post warning information on their websites and alarm NOAA Weather All-Hazards Radios with new warnings.
The are over two dozen NOAA Weather Radio transmitters <http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/?n=nwrnoaa> broadcasting weather forecast and warning information in Colorado. In addition, warnings will be transmitted from Weather Radio via the Emergency Alert System to commercial radio, television and cable television. The Colorado broadcasters have received a waiver from the FCC to participate in this exercise using the EAS <http://www.fcc.gov/pshs/services/eas/> and are urging all broadcast facilities to participate in this drill.
The National Weather Service has a website with a map showing all Colorado Watches, Warnings and Advisories <http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/> and be sure to check out information for your area or where you might travel on the Colorado NOAA Weather Radios and Frequencies site <http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/?n=nwrnoaa> .
Did you know that you can help, too? To learn more about Colorado thunderstorms, tornadoes, watches and warnings, attend a National Weather Service Skywarn spotter training. The schedules for the training are located on the National Weather Service websites for Northeast Colorado <http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/?n=spot_training> , Southeast Colorado <http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pub/?n=/wcm/talks.php> and Western Colorado <http://www.crh.noaa.gov/gjt/?n=spottertraining> .
For NWS-related questions, contact Robert Glancy, WFO Denver Warning Coordination Meteorologist at robert.glancy@noaa.gov. For Colorado Broadcasters Association questions and broadcaster participation, contact Marilyn Hogan, President and CEO of the Colorado Broadcasters Association at cobroadcasters@earthlink.net.
---
Spring is Here!!!!!
You can protect your home and your electronics by simply installing a whole house surge arrestor on your main and sub electrical boxes, installing low voltage surge arrestors on your cable, satellite, and phone lines, and using quality surge protection strips on your stereo and tv equipment.
Surge Protection
