MONROE - Monroe will have two tornado drills this year instead of one, an effort to provide more practice for families preparing for the real event.
The drills are planned for April 14 and are part of Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness week.
Monroe Fire Chief Daryl Rausch said the city will go into a tornado watch situation, then escalate to a simulated warning before setting off sirens throughout the city. The first traditional mock tornado watch will be conducted at 1 p.m. The warning, which indicates more immediate danger, will be issued at 1:45 p.m. as part of the test, and will end at 2 p.m.
The second tornado warning simulation of the day will begin at 6:55 p.m.
"There's been discussion over the last few years that when the sirens are tested in the afternoon, most people are either at work or at school," Rausch said. "The state wanted to give families a chance to test out their plans as well."
A second simulation is "a pilot program of sorts," Rausch said.
He added that city sirens are not designed to be heard throughout every house within Monroe, and are for those primarily outside, away from a television or other equipment which could warn them of an impending tornado.
If there is actual severe weather on April 14, the tests will be postponed until the following day. In the event the inclement weather persists, they will be canceled.
- Bridget Cooke
The drills are planned for April 14 and are part of Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness week.
Monroe Fire Chief Daryl Rausch said the city will go into a tornado watch situation, then escalate to a simulated warning before setting off sirens throughout the city. The first traditional mock tornado watch will be conducted at 1 p.m. The warning, which indicates more immediate danger, will be issued at 1:45 p.m. as part of the test, and will end at 2 p.m.
The second tornado warning simulation of the day will begin at 6:55 p.m.
"There's been discussion over the last few years that when the sirens are tested in the afternoon, most people are either at work or at school," Rausch said. "The state wanted to give families a chance to test out their plans as well."
A second simulation is "a pilot program of sorts," Rausch said.
He added that city sirens are not designed to be heard throughout every house within Monroe, and are for those primarily outside, away from a television or other equipment which could warn them of an impending tornado.
If there is actual severe weather on April 14, the tests will be postponed until the following day. In the event the inclement weather persists, they will be canceled.
- Bridget Cooke