This week, April 13 through the 17th, is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota, and Pope County residents and guests are encouraged to participate in the week’s activities. This week is a good opportunity to review best practices regarding severe weather and how to respond when it takes place.
The Homeland Security and Emergency Management office in the Minnesota Department of Public Safety is offering resources to the public at HSEM’s Severe Weather Awareness Week page to learn about preparing families, neighborhoods, and communities for severe weather scenarios. The site features different highlighted topics each weekday, including:
• Monday: Alerts and warnings
• Tuesday: Severe weather, lightning, and hail
• Wednesday: Floods
• Thursday: Tornadoes
• Friday: Extreme heat
As part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, statewide tornado drills will be conducted on Thursday, April 16, with one at 1:45 pm intended for businesses, schools, and other institutions, and another at 6:45 pm intended for families, households, and communities. Residents and guests are encouraged to participate in the drill and respond as you would in the event of an actual event when you hear the warning sirens or other signals representing the start of the drill.
More information on responding to these and other emergency scenarios can also be found on the Pope County Emergency Management website.