Hello, and welcome to the Fairfax County Health and Safety Podcast for March 11, 2008. I’m Jim Person, Fairfax County emergency information officer. Coming up, learn about tornado preparedness and window safety. Links to topics mentioned in this podcast can be found online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov.
A statewide tornado drill will be held next Tuesday, March 18, at 9:45 a.m. All National Weather Service offices serving Virginia will issue a tornado drill warning. The warning will be a tone-alert broadcast on NOAA Weather Radios that starts the coordinated statewide test of the Emergency Alert System. The EAS test also will be broadcast on television, radio and cable systems.
Unlike hurricane season, there is no such thing as a “tornado season,” and no part of the Commonwealth is safe from experiencing a tornado. Tornadoes have struck in every part of Virginia in every month of the year.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service recommend designating a tornado shelter in an interior room on the lowest level of your home, away from windows. A basement is best, but if there is no basement, choose an interior bathroom, closet or other enclosed space on the lowest level of the building. Another good preparedness tool to have on hand is a weather alert radio. If you are asleep or don’t happen to have a television or radio turned on when a severe weather warning is issued, a weather alert radio is always on and ready to sound an alarm.
You should also know how to survive a tornado when you are not at home, school or work. If you are caught outside during a tornado, find sturdy shelter; if there is none, lie flat in the lowest spot possible (such as a ditch). Those in a car or mobile home should leave it immediately and find sturdy shelter or lie flat in the lowest depression in the ground. Those in large enclosures like a mall or auditorium should seek shelter elsewhere in the building, such as a restroom or interior hallway. For more info, visit www.vaemergency.com or www.fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency.
And finally, remember to practice window safety at your home. The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reminds residents to keep children away from open windows, especially windows close to the floor. If you must open a window, open it from the top; you also may want to consider installing window guards or window stop devices. Be sure to educate older children and adults on how to release window guards in the event of a fire or other emergency that requires evacuation. When landscaping, install grass, mulch and shrubs beneath a window. These can help cushion a child's fall. And remember to keep furniture, beds and toy chests away from windows. For more window safety and other life safety information, visit the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr.
That’s it for this edition of the Fairfax County Health and Safety Podcast, produced by the Fairfax County, Virginia government. Thanks for listening. Additional information about health and safety topics and emergency preparedness may be found online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov.