Severe weather season nears

This is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Tennessee, and Bedford County Emergency Management Agency director Scott Johnson says that every family, every business, and every church or non-profit organization should have a plan for coping with severe weather.

"The number one way a family, business, church, etc., can prepare to protect themselves during potential severe weather is to have a NOAA weather alert radio," said Johnson in an e-mail. "They will alert you of pending and imminent severe weather in the middle of the night when you are sleeping, at work when you are not watching television, et cetera. They cost about $30 and are available at local department, grocery, and other stores." Newer models allow you to program in the code for your home county, so that you are not disturbed by alarms from distant locations.

Families, businesses and organizations should know where to receive weather information, when and where to take cover, and should have supplies like flashlights and battery-operated radios ready.

Bedford County has three tornado warning sirens. One is located at Shelbyville Fire Department Hall #1 on Lane Parkway. Another is located on Eagle Boulevard near Shelbyville Central High School, and the third is located at the old fire hall in Bell Buckle. Wartrace is in the process of reconnecting an old warning siren in its area which will soon be made active.

Johnson said that when a tornado warning is issued, the sirens sound for one minute every 15 minutes as long as the warning is in effect.

"If you hear the siren," writes Johnson, "it indicates the possibility of a tornado is imminent and you should take cover immediately."

The National Weather Service issues both tornado watches and tornado warnings. What's the difference? According to the NWS's Storm Prediction Center Web site, "A watch means severe weather is possible during the next few hours, while a warning means that severe weather has been observed, or is expected soon."

Where should you go in case of a tornado? The best idea is to go low -- to the basement, if there is one -- and to a centrally-located area away from windows. A smaller room offers more structural protection.

Johnson said that 90 percent of the homes in Bedford County have no basements. County residents now have the option of going to one of 12 storm shelters located in church basements. These shelters are opened in cases of severe weather, as announced by WLIJ-AM (1580). They are manned by volunteers.

In Tennessee, most tornadoes occur in March, April and May.

Other threats

Tornadoes, of course, aren't the only form of severe weather. Flooding and flash flooding are the number one weather-related killers, according to a severe weather week brochure supplied by Johnson. Drivers and pedestrians should exercise caution around any flooded areas, especially those where the water is moving rapidly. Never drive through a flooded area; the road bed may have washed away and the water may be deeper than you realize.

Most flood deaths occur at night, when people become trapped in automobiles in flooded areas.

"If your vehicle stalls, abandon it immediately and seek higher ground," according to an article by service hydrologist James LaRosa in the severe weather brochure.

Lightning is also a risk. During a thunderstorm, you should seek shelter inside a house, large building or a metal vehicle with the windows rolled up, according to the severe weather brochure. Indoors, stay away from windows, and don't wash dishes or take a shower. Unplug computers and other sensitive electrical equipment; surge protectors may not be sufficient to protect them from a close lightning strike.

If you are outside and your hair stands on end and your skin tingles, lightning may be about to strike. Seek cover immediately. Avoid large trees, hilltops and chain-link or other metal fences.

If someone near you is struck by lightning, there is no residual charge. It is safe to apply CPR immediately if needed.

Hail is another potential risk of severe weather. Effective this year, however, the weather service has toughened its definition of "severe" hail, increasing the diameter from 3/4 inch (the diameter of a penny) to one inch (about the diameter of a quarter). Weather service research has shown that significant damage doesn't take place until hail is an inch or larger in size, and the weather service does not want warnings to become so common that hearers tune them out.

Storm shelters

Bedford County storm shelters:

* New Bethel Baptist Church, 1832 State Route 64 West, Bedford / Wheel

* Bell Buckle United Methodist, 110 Maple St., Bell Buckle

* Friendship Baptist, Hilltop Road, near Flat Creek

* Crowell's Chapel Lutheran Church, Halls Mill Road

* Mountain View Baptist, 1331 Horse Mountain Road

* Normandy United Methodist, downtown Normandy

* Pleasant Grove United Methodist, State Route 130 West, Pleasant Grove

* Rover Baptist Church, 202 Baptist Church Road, Rover

* East Park Methodist, East Parkway at April Lane, Shelbyville

* First Baptist Church, 304 E. Depot St., Shelbyville

* Southside Church of Christ, 108 Narrows Road, Shelbyville

* Wartrace United Methodist, 305 E. Main St., Wartrace