Governor Matt Bevin has signed a proclamation designating February 22-28 as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Kentucky. Severe weather is Kentucky’s most common threat, as evidenced by the four weather-related, federally declared disasters during 2015.

Partnering with Kentucky Emergency Management and the National Weather Service, Clinton County Emergency Management recognizes February 22-28 as “Severe Weather Awareness Week in Kentucky.”

Lonnie Scott, Clinton County Emergency Management Director, said, “Weather is always a threat in Kentucky. Already in 2016 Kentuckians have experienced historic snow falls, followed less than a week later by risks of severe storms and tornadoes. It is important to ensure your safety and the safety of your family to plan ahead and know what to do in the event severe weather or a tornado warning is issued for our community.”

As part of severe weather awareness activities, a statewide tornado drive was conducted in conjunction with the proclamation.

At approximately 9:17 a.m. Central Time, Tuesday, February 23, the National Weather Service (NWS), partnering with the Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM), the Kentucky Weather Preparedness Committee (KWPC) and Kentucky Broadcasters Association (KBA) issued a tornado warning test message.

Outdoor sirens sounded across Kentucky communities; weather alert radios activated; and television and radio stations and mobile services broadcast the alert–allowing the public the opportunity to practice tornado safety measures.

The broadcast message emphasized this was only a test of the alert system. During the test alert, all Kentuckians, businesses, hospitals, nursing homes, educators and government agencies were encouraged to practice their tornado safety drill and update their emergency plan.

Safety measures before and during a tornado:

* Basements are best, but if there is no basement, choose an interior bathroom, closet or other enclosed space on the lowest level of a building.

* Tell everyone where the designated shelter is and post the location.

To conduct a tornado drill at work:

* Announce the start of the drill.

* Participants should act as though a tornado warning has been issued for the immediate area or a tornado has been sighted nearby. They should move as quickly as possible to the designated tornado shelter.

* Once people reach predesignated safe areas, they should crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down, covering their heads with their hands.

* Once everyone has reached safe shelter, announce the mock tornado has passed and the drill is complete.

* After the drill, perform an assessment. Determine whether the shelter you chose was large enough for everyone, easy to get to and uncluttered.

* Help emergency managers and weather officials improve weather notifications and awareness campaigns by completing a short online survey, available at http://kyem.ky.gov/preparedness/Pages/default.aspx.

Remember, outdoor sirens are not designed to warn indoor inhabitants, and tornadoes also strike during the night. If you are asleep or don’t happen to have a television or radio turned on when a severe weather warning is issued; battery-backed weather alert radios are always on and ready to sound an alarm. This is the most effective way to monitor severe weather watches and warnings at any time day or night.

Homes and businesses alike should have and should monitor weather alert radios, which automatically transmit NWS severe weather watches and warnings 24 hours a day.

KYEM is offering an online survey form that each participant is encouraged to complete and submit. The results will be used to help determine the effectiveness of the drill and to identify ways to improve readiness and alert notifications.

The survey, weather safety types, helpful links and resources can be found on the KYEM website at http://key.ky.gov where you can follow KYTMPIO on Twitter, like us on Facebook and sign up for mobile alert messages.

Information on Clinton County Emergency Management is available by calling 387-8636.

Being prepared for severe weather starts with identifying threats and risks. The first step for each citizen is to become weather-ready by knowing what types of weather hazards that can affect where they live and work, and how the weather could impact them and their family. Citizens should check local weather forecasts regularly, get a NOAA Weather Radio, and sign up for alerts from local emergency management officials.

Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 200 miles per hour. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. Every state is at some risk from this hazard. Some tornadoes are clearly visible, while rain or nearby low-handing clouds obscure others. Occasionally, tornadoes develop so rapidly that little, if any, advance warning is possible. Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become very still. A cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel is not visible. Tornadoes generally occur near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm. If is not uncommon to see clear, sunlit skies behind a tornado.

Familiarize yourself with these terms to help identify a tornado hazard:

* Tornado Watch–Tornadoes are possible. Remain alert for approaching storms. Watch the sky and stay turned to NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio or television for information.

* Tornado Warning–A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. Take shelter immediately.

If you are under a tornado warning, seek shelter immediately. Most injuries associated with high winds are from flying debris, so remember to protect your head.

* Go to a pre-designated area such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar, or the lowest building level. If there is no basement, go to the center of a small interior room on the lowest level (closet, interior hallway) away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Get under a sturdy table or use your arms to protect your head and neck.

* In a high-rise building, go to a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor possible.

* Put on sturdy shoes.

* Do not open windows.

* Get out immediately and go to a pre-identified location such as the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or storm shelter. Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes.

If you are not in a study building, there is no single research-based recommendation for what last-resort action to take because many factors affect your decision. Possible actions include:

* Immediately get into a vehicle, buckle your seat belt and try to drive to the closest sturdy shelter. If your vehicle is hit by flying debris while you are driving, pull over and park.

* Take cover in a stationary vehicle. Put the seat belt on and cover your head with your arms and a blanket, coat or other cushion if possible.

* Lie in an area noticeably lower than the level of the roadway and cover your head with your arms and a blanket, coat or other cushion if possible.

In still situations:

* 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.

Other tornado facts and things to watch for:

* Be alert to changing weather conditions. Look for approaching storms.

* Look for the following danger signs: large hail; a large, dark, low-lying cloud (particularly if rotating), loud roar, similar to a freight train. If you see approaching storms or any type of the danger signs, be prepared to take shelter immediately.

* They may strike quickly with little or no warning.

* They may appear nearly transparent until dust and debris are picked up or a cloud forms in the funnel.

* The average tornado moves Southwest to Northeast, but tornadoes have been known to move in any direction.

* The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 miles per hour, but may vary from stationary to 70 miles per hour.

* Tornadoes can accompany tropical storms and hurricanes as they move onto land.

* Waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water.

* Tornadoes are most frequently reported east of the Rocky Mountains during spring and summer months.

* Peak tornado season in the southern states is March through May; in the northern states, it is late spring through early summer.

* Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., but can occur at any time.