Pinellas County is partnering with the State Emergency Response Team and with other central Florida counties to participate in the regional Great Tornado Drill on Wednesday, Jan. 25, as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.
- County to take part in the Great Tornado Drill on Jan. 25
- Participants should take cover at 10 a.m. (and take a selfie)
- Post a photo to social media with hashtag #PCtornadodrill for a chance to win a NOAA weather alert radio
Everyone is encouraged to participate, whether at work, play, in the classroom or at home.
Businesses, organizations, families and individuals are asked to first identify a shelter and their source of emergency alerts, such as messages received on a mobile phone, weather radio or other notification service.
The alerts should be loud enough to wake a person up if a tornado were to hit in the middle of the night. Tornadoes move fast. An alert will give participants about 11 minutes to find shelter.
At 10 a.m., participants should act as if a weather emergency notification was issued, practice sheltering in their safe room, and then take a selfie of their group. Practice as if an emergency weather alert has been issued and practice getting everyone into a safe room quickly. The National Weather Service issues a weekly test at 10:10 a.m. This is only a routine test and is not part of the tornado drill.
By using the hashtag #PCtornadodrill and posting it on Pinellas County’s Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, participants will have a chance to win a NOAA weather alert radio, provided by the State of Florida.
The test in Pinellas County will be over at 10:30 a.m.
For more information on emergency preparedness, go to www.pinellascounty.org/emergency.