Statewide tornado drill a reminder that people need to pay attention to changing weather

MASON CITY — A statewide tornado drill was held at 10 o’clock this morning as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week in the state of Iowa. Several counties in north-central Iowa tested out their outdoor warning systems, including Cerro Gordo County.

Emergency Management Coordinator Eric Whipple says you shouldn’t expect to hear those warning sirens when you are indoors.   “The outdoor warning sirens, a lot of people call them tornado sirens. They are really technically called outdoor warning sirens, and that’s for the reason of to notify people to take shelter who are outdoors. You should not expect to hear the tornado sirens inside of a building, inside your home, especially if you are a little a ways away from those sirens.”

Whipple says if severe weather is imminent, you should be paying attention to sources who will bring you warnings, including radio stations and NOAA weather radio.  “They’re loud. They notify you very well, especially during the overnight hours when you are sleeping. It’s almost like the smoke detector in your home. It’s really loud and designed to wake you up. The NOAA weather radio, they can program them so you only get warnings for Cerro Gordo County now instead of the region, so it won’t wake you up all night long, but NOAA weather radios are probably the best way to receive information, weather warnings, during the day and night.”

For more about Severe Weather Awareness Week in the state of Iowa, head to this story at northiowanow.com