SC's statewide tornado safety drill scheduled

(FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – Wednesday through Saturday, March 16 is Severe Weather Safety Awareness Week in South Carolina, and to help people get prepared, authorities said there will be a statewide tornado drill.

The drill is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 13.

The drill will be broadcast via the Emergency Alert System and via NOAA Weather Radios. 

South Carolina’s Emergency Management Division said this drill offers a great opportunity to develop and practice a family safety plan, or safety plans for the workplace and at schools. 

• Discuss the types of disasters that are most likely to happen. Explain what to do in each case.

• Everyone in the family should know the address and phone number of the designated meeting place. Pick two places to meet:

  1. Outside your home in the case of a sudden emergency, like a fire; and

  2. Outside your neighborhood in case you can’t return home.

• Pick an out-of-town or out-of-state friend to be your “family contact.” After a disaster, it is often easier to call long distance than to make a local call. All family members should call this person and tell them if they are safe, and where they are to help reduce panic during an emergency.

• Discuss what to do in an evacuation and keep reference materials distributed by utilities and emergency managers with evacuation zones and routes in a designated area.Take some time to plan for your pets.

In the event of a tornado, get to an interior room on the lowest level of your home or office building with as few doors and windows as possible. 

To learn more about emergency planning from the SCEMD, CLICK HERE!