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Although it may not appear like it right now, it is that time of year again. Severe Weather Awareness Week is fast approaching. The week is dedicated to help us all learn and prepare for upcoming weather hazards, and to help provide resources to minimize the risks associated with severe weather. As the Wadena tornado showed this past summer, these events do happen and can cause extensive damage.

The amount of damage across the United States is in excess of 1 billion dollars. The high temperatures we see can very quickly cause heat exhaustion especially in children and the elderly. Lightning kills and injures many people every summer! 48 lightning fires took place in Minnesota alone in 2010, damaging homes and other structures resulting in over $2 million dollars in damage.

On Thursday, April 14, 2011, Cass County will be participating in two Tornado Drills. The first drill will be statewide at 1:45 p.m. to allow schools, business, and healthcare facilities to practice their emergency plans, and certainly encourage all to do so. The 2nd drill will be at 6:55 p.m., which Cass County will be participating in will allow all of us as individual families and also business that has late shift workers to practice our plans also.

During the week the National Weather Service will also be testing the Emergency Alert Systems and the NOAA all hazard weather radios. This is a very inexpensive way for all of us to be able to be alerted of all hazards and encourage all to consider a purchase for our home and business.

In conjunction with Severe Weather Awareness Week we will also be offering two Sky Warn Weather Spotters classes. The first class will be on April 18th at the Lake Shore City Hall in Lake Shore. The second will be on April 20th at the Walker High School in Walker. Both classes will start at 6 p.m. This class is offered to anyone that would like to become a spotter and be an extra pair of eyes to help keep the National Weather Service aware of what is happening with the weather in your area. Again this class is open to anyone that is interested in the weather.

Here are a couple of weather related websites with a lot of great information and resources - www.severeweather.state.mn.us or www.ready.gov. Please check them out. If you have any other questions or you would like to register for the Weather Spotters Class please call Kerry Swenson, Cass Co Emergency Management Director at 218-547-7437 or [email protected].



Pauline Fahey,

Administration Assistant, Cass County Sheriff's Office[[In-content Ad]]

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