With peak storm season upon us, the Saline County Department of Emergency Management wants residents to be ready and have a plan for if and when disaster may strike.
Although the National Weather Service in Wichita has already issued weather warnings including for thunderstorms and tornadoes in 2023, when people usually think of severe weather, summer is the time they think of.
Saline County hasn’t seen many tornadoes for a few years, with 2022 seeing two tornados in the county, both of which happened during the typical peak of storm season, the summer months. Despite this, Saline County Emergency Management Director Michelle Weis said it is always a good time to prepare.
“For the past four years, we’ve been pretty low in our tornadic activity,” Weis said. “When you look historically, whenever you have a lull, the next couple of years following that are (often times) when you make up for whatever you weren’t experiencing.”
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Prepare for several hazards, not just tornadoes
It’s not just tornadoes that people need to think of when it comes to severe storm weather, as Weis said there are several things that people can prepare for during this time.
“There are a lot of hazards that come from a supercell including the wind, the hail, the lightning, the flooding and the occasional tornado,” Weis said. “I implore people to have a plan for their work, their home and their vehicle or whatever their mode of transportation is.”
With schools out for the summer, Weis said people should think about and include everyone in their household when they plan.
“Make sure you have a plan for kids especially,” Weis said.
Some of these plans are fairly simple and nothing new for people, such as going to a basement or an interior room on the lowest level of your home during a tornado. Other plans may be a little more complicated and take some communication.
“Outside of your home, make sure you have a place that you’ve talked about with your (family)…if for some reason they did need to evacuate… whether there was (something like) a gas leak or a wildfire,” Weis said. “Make sure that neighbors know it’s a possibility that (your kids) might show up on their porch.”
As for preparing for storms, Weis said people need to pay attention to local media sources for the latest information about storms.
“Because of where we are with the radar (system), we’re normally the first people to notify them of anything, because it doesn’t show up on the radar,” Weis said.
There is a tornado siren system in the county that consists of 19 sirens, but the county said those are really designed to alert people outside to danger.
“As soon as you know that there’s severe weather…however you get your real-time news, that’s where you should tune into,” said Melissa McCoy, public information officer for Saline County.
Weis said there are systems and chats in place for real-time weather updates from counties to these new agencies.
“What we get from spotters and deputies goes directly to (those local media sources),” Weis said.
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Creating a disaster preparedness kit
Another thing that Weis said can be important is to have items together in a kit in case any kind of disaster may strike.
The Emergency Management website links to several types of kits and ways to make a kit, but there are a few key items that Weis said everyone should think about having on hand.
“Have either a case of water or a gallon of water for each person, per day for however long you want to make your kit (last),” Weis said.
Additionally, kits should include some kind of non-perishable food, flashlights, a weather radio, extra batteries and a first aid kit. Weis said for people with kids, there should be some kind of entertainment that doesn’t require power, such as coloring or activity books and maybe a comfort item like a blanket or stuffed animal.
Non-human members of the family should also be considered when making a kit.
“If you’ve got pets, make sure you an extra leash in there, extra food and water for them as well,” Weis said.
Get more information on the Emergency Management website
While it may seem inconvenient and time consuming to make these plans, Weis said taking the time to do simple things can be crucial in times when you need them.
For more information about how to prepare, such as how to create a disaster preparedness kit, a map of outdoor warning sirens and more, visit the Saline County Emergency Management webpage, www.salinecountyks.gov/emergency-management.
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