Tornado safety

It's the third day of severe weather preparedness week in Missouri and Wednesday's focus is tornado safety. Earlier today at 11 a.m., the state conducted an organized tornado warning system test. Many people were able to hear the tornado sirens whine from county to county. The tornado siren is effective when positioned outdoors, but residents of Missouri should make sure they have other more sure-fire ways to get their warning information.

The best tools to have includes having a weather radio (change batteries and test twice a year), having the KMIZ Wx app with notifications and your location turned on, and by tuning into ABC 17/ Fox 22 news on their televisions.

Make sure your friends and family have a plan incase an emergency occurs. The best place to be is in a well built home, located within a lower level interior room preferably in a basement. If you do not have a basement, contact neighbors to see about use with them in times of emergency or check to see if you city has a public tornado shelter.

Make sure to have safety gear on standby in your safe space before severe weather arrives. Have some type of protective devices to cover your head, cell phone to alert emergency services, water, and some type of manual sound device such as a whistle or an air horn in case you become trapped and need to alert rescuers.