Severe Weather Awareness Week

Severe Weather Awareness Week

April 7th - 11th, 2025

Wilkin County Emergency Management would like to take the opportunity to remind citizens that severe summer storms and tornadoes can strike at any time of day and sometimes with little warning. It is important to know how to respond if a weather emergency occurs. Officials would like to encourage citizens to locate a safe area in their residence to shelter during inclement weather and to conduct a tornado drill. Also consider purchasing a weather alert device such as a NOAA weather radio and registering your home and cellular phone number with CodeRED which automatically delivers severe weather alerts to you directly. For information about CodeRED and to register click here...

Tornado Safety Information

BEFORE THE TORNADO

A tornado watch highlights an area where tornadoes are likely to develop. Continue your normal activities during a tornado watch, but keep track of the latest weather reports, and be ready to get to a shelter. Tornadoes develop quickly.

IN THE HOME

Go to the basement. Get under a table, work bench, or some other sturdy furniture to protect yourself from falling debris. A stairwell is also a good place to hide during a tornado.

IF YOU CANNOT GET TO A BASEMENT

Go to a small, interior room on the lowest floor. Closets, bathrooms and interior halls afford the best protection in most cases. Get under something sturdy or cover yourself with blankets, and stay away from windows.

IN AN APARTMENT, SCHOOL OR OFFICE BUILDING

Move to the lowest level, to the innermost room — or go to a pre-designated shelter area. Stay away from windows! In a hallway, crouch down and protect your head from flying debris. Avoid areas with glass and large expanses of roof with no supports.

IN A MOBILE HOME, CAR, TRUCK OR OTHER VEHICLE

Abandon your mobile home or vehicle as quickly as possible and find a sturdy shelter — preferably a permanent structure. Avoid bridges - they act as wind tunnels People who try to escape a tornado by driving away in a vehicle often don't make it.; they get caught in deadly winds.

IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE WITHOUT SHELTER

Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Be aware of the potential for flooding. Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location. Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter. Protect yourself from flying debris. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries.