Residents Urged Be Prepared During Severe Weather Awareness Week

Tennessee’s Severe Weather Awareness Week got underway Sunday.

Derek Woolbright is the public information officer for Jackson County Emergency Management Agency. He said the week provides an opportunity for the public to get prepared for the next major storm.

“We are heading into tornado season and it’s always a major concern for us here in Middle Tennessee,” Woolbright said. “It’s just a good time to make sure that your weather radios are working and that you’re prepared if you were to lose electricity.”

A number of topics will be covered throughout the week, including flooding and flash floods on Monday and tornado safety and preparedness on Wednesday.

Severe Weather Awareness Week comes after parts of the Upper Cumberland experienced severe flooding from the recent rainfall. Woolbright said many lessons can be learned from the previous week.

“We’ve seen several different types of weather over the last week or two and a lot of different issues have arose with roadways and flooding,” Woolbright said. “It’s a good reminder that you should always be prepared for anything that could happen when it comes to the weather.”

Woolbright said residents should also consider signing up to receive certain weather alert notices.

“We’ve had some calls about how people can sign up in Jackson County to get weather alerts,” Woolbright said. “If you go to the Jackson County E-911 Facebook page, there’s a link on there where you can sign up to get text messages and phone calls about weather and emergencies going on.”

You can find more information about Severe Weather Awareness Week by visiting the National Weather Service website.