Preparing for the worst this storm season
By Kyle Schmidt
The first severe spring storm of the season hit St. Joseph this week, and it’s inevitable more will follow.
March marks the start of the stormy season in the Midwest, making now the time to prepare.
“The best thing they can do is have a like a ready kit,” Bill Lamar, the city’s emergency manager, said. “Always have your cell phones and your electronics charged up. Notify your family members of what your plan is if a storm did blow through and really more than that, just be prepared to be on your own until the emergency help will arrive.”
Supplies to have in a kit include water, food, a flashlight, first aid and extra batteries. The food should be able to last a couple of days.
Preparation before the storm is just as important as being in a safe spot.
“Let the kids know because, I mean, it’s scary even for adults,” Lamar said. “But not only can you talk them through what might happen but that’s a great time to have a plan. And so you can have a meeting place if you get separated.”
Tornados are one of the more devastating severe storms that can hit St. Joseph. It is important to get to a safe location if the sirens sound.
“Most interior portion. So away from windows. Typically it would be, I would say, a bathroom. And if you can, drag a mattress or something heavy or even a helmet that would keep anything from collapsing in on you,” Lamar said. “Typically the bathrooms won’t have windows and they’re on the inside of your house.”
Keeping track of what storms are in the area can help as well. News-Press NOW’s storm tracker weather app can keep anyone up to date on possible storms in the area.
“If something does happen, we’ll try to make sure that the right resources get into that neighborhood,” Lamar said. “If there’s any need for recovery, that’s when we have a lot of community organizations that can help and get that neighborhood back towards recovery.
