Tornado safety: 5 things to do ahead of severe weather All information from Ready.gov Updated: 11:33 AM CDT Mar 17, 2021 WVTM 13 Digital All information from Ready.gov Updated: 11:33 AM CDT Mar 17, 2021 Hide Transcript Show Transcript APPRECIATE YOU. ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS YOU NEED TO DO WHEN YOU ARE PREPARING FOR THIS DAY, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED AND A SAFE PLACE TO BE. >> CHARGE YOUR PHONE, GET WATER WHEREVER YOU ARE GOING TO BE. PUT THAT PLAN IN PLACE AND JUST BE AWARE. RICK: SINCE THE TORNADOES OF 2011, THERE HAS BEEN AN EFFORT IN JEFFERSON COUNTY TO BUILD MORE STORM SHELTERS. LATER TODAY, CITIES WILL BE OPENING MORE SHELTERS AS WE GET READY FOR SEVERE WEATHER HEADING OUR WAY. THE JEFFERSON COUNTY EMA SAYS IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO BE OVER WITH A FEW HOURS. THE AGECY IS EXPECTING A LONG WEATHER EVENT. IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO ALREADY, NOW IS THE TIME TO PREPARE. ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO IS TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE MULTIPLE WAYS TO RECEIVE WEATHER ALERTS. IF ONE OF THOSE WAYS IS THROUGH YOUR PHONE, JEFFERSON COUNTY EMA SAYS MAKE SURE THE DO NOT DISTURB IS TURNED OFF. >> PEOPLE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT DO NOT DISTURB IS TURNED OFF ON THEIR PHONE. IF YOU HAVE DO NOT DISTURB TURNED ON, IT WILL NOT GIVE YOU AN AUDIBLE ALERT. ESPECIALLY IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, YOU NEED TO BE WOKEN UP TO SEEK SHELTER, THAT TONE WILL NOT GO OFF, SO YOU WANT TO DOUBLE CHECK. RICK: THAT IS A GREAT POINT. ANOTHER REMINDER, DO NOT RELY ON OUTDOOR SIRENS. THEY ARE MEANT TO BE HEARD WHEN YOU ARE OUTSIDE. IT IS UNLIKELY YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR THEM INSIDE, OR BE WOKEN UP. CARLA: OF COURSE, WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, SO THERE IS A BIT OF A RISK IN GOING TO A CREDIT SHELTER. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU AND BEST FOR YOUR FAMILY. PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM POTENTIALLY VIOLENT STORMS SHOULD BE YOUR TOP PRIORITY. >> YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT IS THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS IN IMMEDIATE DANGER, AND THE IMMEDIATE DANGER WOULD BE A TORNADO THAT WOULD COME THROUGH INSTEAD OF COVID. CARLA: AND HERE ARE A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS TO REMEMBER TO BRING IF YOU’RE GOING TO LEAVE YOUR HOUSE. YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE BOTTLED WATER, FOOD, A PORTABLE CELL PHONE CHARGER, ALSO YOU WILL WANT TO GRAB ANY IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS OR FAMILY HEIRLOOMS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO SAVE, JUST IN CASE THE WORST HAPPENS. AND DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR FAMILY PETS, AND MAKE SURE YOU BRING THEM SOME EXTRA FOOD AS WELL. IF YOU PLAN ON WRITING OUT THESE STORMS AT HOME, YOU NEED TO HAVE SOME KIND OF PROTECTION. SPECIFICALLY, A MATTRESS OR MAYBE A HELMET. IF YOU DON’T HAVE EITHER, YOU CAN ALSO USE POTS AND PANS OR MAYBE EVEN A TEXTBOOK. OF COURSE, ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING, SO MAKE SURE IF THIS HAPPENS, GRAB WHAT YOU CAN. WE ARE IN THE HEART OF TORNADO SEASON, SO MARCH TORNADOES REALLY ARE NOT THAT UNCOMMON. IN FACT, ONLY THE MONTH OF APRIL HAS SEEN MORE TORNADOES. LAST YEAR, EIGHT OF THEM HIT OUR STATE AND FROM 1950-2020, 320 TORNADOES TOUCHED DOWN IN ALABAMA IN THE MONTH OF MARCH AND THE MAJORITY OF THOSE WERE EF-1. CENTRAL ALABAMA GETS HIT WITH MORE TORNADOES THAN ANY OTHER AREA IN THE STATE. IN THAT SAME TIMEFRAME, JEFFERSON COUNTY HAS BEEN HIT WITH 100 OF THEM. IF YOU ARE IN PICKENS COUNTY, YOU NEED TO GO AHEAD AND SIGN UP THE CODE RED WEATHER WARNING SYSTEM. JUST HEAD OVER TO PICKENS COUNTY’S WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN REGISTER FOR PHONE CALLS, TEXT ALERTS, AS WELL AS EMAILS. THIS IS AN OPT-IN ONLY SERVICE MEANING YOU WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE THESE ALERTS, YOU DO HAVE TO SIGN UP FOR THEM. TODAY’S STORMS COME JUST A MONTH AND A HALF AFTER A DEADLY EF-3 TORNADO CAME THROUGH FULTONDALE. CARLA:-- RICK: THAT STORM STILL FRESH ON THE MINDS OF SO MANY. ONE REASON FOR CONCERN, ALL THE DEBRIS THAT SITS ON THE STREET, A LOT OF THAT HAS BEEN PUSHED TO THE CURB. THE CITY WILL OPEN ALL THREE SHELTERS IF AND WHEN A TORNADO WATCH IS ISSUED. >> IT CAN HOLD APPROXIMATELY 400 PEOPLE. BECAUSE OF SOCIAL DISTANCING AND COVID AND EVERYTHING, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS SAID TO COME TO THE STORM SHELTER IF NEEDED. RICK: PLENTY OF SCHOOL CLOSINGS TODAY AS WELL. ALSO THE UAB COVID-19 VACCINE SITES IN JEFFERSON COUNTY ARE ALSO CLOSE. ALL INFORMATION SCROLLING AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND NIGHT. OF COURSE, IT IS ALSO FREE ON OUR WVTM 13 MOBILE APP. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THAT ON YOUR PHONE OR DEVICE. CHECK OUT OUR REAL-TIME DOPPLER RADAR, OUR THREE-MINUTE ADVANTAGE. THIS IS LIVE RADAR AND TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS.