IEMA Urges People to Prepare for Severe Weather
IEMA, IESMA Sponsor Online Weather Alert Radio Contest
in March
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[March 23, 2018]
SPRINGFIELD
- As recent widespread flooding demonstrates, severe weather can
happen any time of the year. To help people prepare for weather
emergencies, IEMA and local emergency management agencies will be
promoting Severe Weather Preparedness Month throughout March. |
“We want to make sure families have a plan in
advance, just in case they’re ever impacted by severe weather,” said
IEMA Acting Director Jennifer Ricker. “Throughout the month of
March, we’ll help people understand where they should take shelter,
the importance of having a family communications plan, and what
should be included in their preparedness kit.”
IEMA and the Illinois Emergency Services Management Association (IESMA)
are also sponsoring an online contest that offers Illinois residents
a chance to win a weather alert radio. The “Weather Alert Radios
Save Lives” contest will be available on the Ready Illinois website
at www.Ready.Illinois. gov
through March 31.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2018/Mar/07/images/ads/current/ldn_sda_062409.png)
A total of 100 weather alert radios will be awarded to randomly
selected participants who register after reading information about
the radios and successfully completing a five-question quiz. Winners
will be notified in April. The radios were purchased by IESMA to
increase the use of the devices throughout Illinois.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) weather alert radios can be programmed to sound an alarm and
provide information when a weather warning has been issued for your
county. Other ways to receive severe weather warnings include
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), weather alert apps, TV and radio
broadcasts, the Internet, outdoor warning sirens and more. [to top of second
column] |
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2018/Mar/07/images/ads/current/ccaonline_lda050208.png)
“Standing among the ruins of their Saline County home, a man,
woman and their infant child told me they were thankful for the precious time
their NOAA weather alert radio gave them to take shelter,” said McHenry County
Emergency Management Director and IESMA Board Member David Christensen,
referring to the Feb. 29, 2012, pre-dawn tornado that struck Saline County.
“Those three lives saved convinced me of the value of these radios.”
A Severe Weather Preparedness Guide, which provides tips on how to prepare for
weather emergencies is available on the Ready Illinois website.
"Please keep in mind, if there are flooded roads it is very simple, don't drive
through flood waters. Turn Around, Don't Drown,” said Chris Miller, warning
coordination meteorologist with the NWS office in Lincoln. “Nearly all of the
people who have died in floods across Illinois were in vehicles."
[Illinois Emergency Management
Agency]
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2018/Mar/07/images/ads/current/christian_village_sda_031616.png)
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