Spring has arrived in Nebraska and so has the severe weather season. This is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Nebraska, a time for families to make preparations before rough weather moves in.
Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management Director Jim Davidsaver is urging residents to create or review their severe weather plans for home, at work and school. “Now is a good time to review your emergency response plans,” Davidsaver says.
“A good start is to identify your best shelter options when severe weather poses a threat. Your family plan should include a location where all family members will report during severe weather.” Davidsaver says as evidenced by Nebraska’s devastating flooding in March 2019, Lincoln’s historic snowfall in January 2021, Lancaster County’s significant wildfire in October 2022 and straight line wind event in July 2024, tornados should not be the sole focus of severe weather awareness.
“A good plan considers all potential emergencies to keep everyone safe.” Davidsaver said while tornados can happen any time of the year and any time of the day, historically April, May and June have the most tornado activity. The peak timeframe for tornados is 4:00pm to 9:00pm.
“In 2024, the National Weather Service office near Omaha issued 130 tornado warnings and documented a record 72 tornadoes in its forecast area. Anytime Lancaster County is in a severe weather warning, the Emergency Operations Center is actively monitoring the conditions to provide timely, accurate information to the community.”
He says make sure you have a NOAA all-hazards radio inside your home. They will provide reliable, accurate, advanced notice of severe weather and promote seeking shelter in a timely manner. “It is an inexpensive investment that provides a significant measure of safety.”
He tells KLIN News don’t rely on the outdoor warning sirens to alert you, especially at night while you are asleep. Those sirens are meant to alert people who happen to be outside when storms roll in. They can be plugged in, but also run on batteries and Davidsaver says they are easy to program.
Have an emergency kit that can sustain you and your family for up to three days. That kit includes food, bottled water, flashlight or lantern and a way to stay informed. Make sure you have extra batteries.
The National Weather Service will hold a Statewide Tornado Drill on Wednesday Davidsaver says he will activate their outdoor warning sirens at that time. That’s the time when everyone is encouraged to practice sheltering plans for when their is an actual warning.
Davisaver says you can track participation with a simple on-line form that’s available on the Emergency Management website for people to fill out once they complete their shelter drill. You can follow Emergency Management on X at LancasterCoEMA and on Facebook at Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management, Lincoln, NE.