As part of the 2018 National Weather Service (NWS) Severe Weather Awareness Week, set for March 26-30, the city of Perry will participate in a tornado drill Wednesday, March 28 at 10 a.m.
According to authorities in the Perry City Hall, a test tornado watch will be issued by the NWS Storm Prediction Center for all of Iowa at 10 a.m. Wednesday, with a test watch tone alerted on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Radio and sent through the Emergency Alert System (EAS) as a test message.
At around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, the NWS will issue a test tornado warning for Iowa counties, and the storm sirens in Perry will sound for approximately three minutes.
The test tornado watch will expire at about 11 a.m. Wednesday
If genuinely severe weather threatens on Wednesday, the tornado drill will be postponed until Thursday, March 29 and conducted at the same times.
This is the time of year to test storm sirens and tornado procedures for cities, schools and businesses. The city of Perry encourages residents to take this opportunity to do so.
A tornado watch means that potential conditions exist for the development of a thunderstorm or tornado. Civilians should be prepared to take cover in the event of a tornado watch.
A tornado warning means a tornado or thunderstorm is imminent. Civilians should take cover if they are in the tornado warning area.
In case of an actual warning, you should take cover in a storm shelter or basement. If you do not have a basement, go to the smallest interior room of your residence, such as a bathroom or closet. Move away from windows in order to protect yourself from flying glass or debris. If possible cover yourself with a mattress of blanket.
If you are outdoors, try to find cover in a sturdy building, or lie down in the lowest area you can find that is away from objects that might be thrown about.
Perry residents are reminded that the city’s storm sirens are intended to alert those persons who are outdoors at the time of the warning. You may not hear them if you are inside a residence.
If you are inside a residence or in a vehicle, you should check an online news service such as ThePerryNews.com or tune to a local radio or television station for up-to-the-minute information or, better yet, purchase a weather radio.
