MARYLAND - The Maryland Department of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service are urging Maryland natives and visitors to educate themselves on common spring weather hazards and how to safely prepare and protect against them this week.
Maryland Severe Storms Awareness Week runs from April 10-16. Tornados, straight line winds, flooding, and lightning were all named as the most notable weather hazards Maryland experiences.
“We urge all Marylanders to know about these threats and to be proactive in having several different ways to receive the latest alerts,” said Russ Strickland, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Emergency Management.
Each day of Severe Storm Awareness Week has a theme, beginning with flooding as Monday’s theme. Tuesday’s theme is Damaging Winds, with tornados set for Wednesday, hail for Thursday, and lightning for Friday.
For Thursday’s tornado theme, MDEM and the NWS are encouraging residents to participate in the Great Maryland Twister Test drill. At 10 a.m. Thursday, the NWS will issue a statement over National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radios about the drill. Schools and businesses can participate in the drill at that time, but are encouraged by MDEM to practice a tornado drill at any time of day.
Maryland Severe Storms Awareness Week fittingly comes on the heels of last week’s deadly tornado in Sussex County, Delaware.
Marylanders can visit MdReady.maryland.gov to add a shortcut to their mobile device home screen or sign up for text alerts to give them access to a wide variety of emergency notifications and preparedness. You can also visit the Severe Storms Awareness Week page for more information
To find more preparedness information for severe storms and other hazards, please visit the following websites: mdem.maryland.gov/Pages/types-of-emergencies.aspx, weather.gov/safety, or ready.gov.