|
What to Do |
By taking specific actions, you can increase your chances of surviving severe weather. Learn these basic actions. There are no public severe weather shelters in the City of Moore.
| Home or Office | Take shelter in an interior room on the lowest possible floor
Get under something sturdy
Cover yourself with a heavy blanket or coat |
| Mobile Homes | Mobile homes do not offer shelter from high winds.
Evacuate to a permanent structure.
Be alert and prepared - once the warning is given, it's too late to leave. |
| Cars | If roads allow, drive at right-angles to the path of the tornado. If you can't, get out of your car and seek shelter in a structure or ditch. You can't outrun a tornado!
DON'T TAKE SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS - THEY OFFER NO PROTECTION! |
| Windows | Stay away from windows!
The old sage about opening windows to equalize the pressure is not true. |
| Outside | Go inside a permanent structure. If there are no structures, get in a ditch or depression - but - watch for rising water |
| What to Take to Shelter |
It's always a good idea to take a flashlight and a battery-powered radio with you to shelter
Try to get under something sturdy, such as a desk
Cover yourself with a heavy blanket or coat |
| Public Shelters | There are no public shelters in the City of Moore. |
|
|
|
Severe Thunderstorm Threats |
Thunderstorms can threaten your personal safety in a number of different means. The primary weather threats, ranked by number of fatalities annually, are:
Flash Flooding;
Lightning;
Tornadoes;
Straight-line winds;
Hail
It is also useful to know the physical threats that occur during a tornado. These include (form most likely to least likely):
Being penetrated by flying debris propelled by winds
which can be in excess of 100 mph;
Being crushed under something heavy;
Being lifted and thrown by the wind
These factors are why it is important to cover yourself with a heavy coat or blanket (in an attempt to stop/slow the debris), and to take shelter under something sturdy, such as a heavy desk. |
|
|
Severe Thunderstorms |
Thunderstorms are officially categorized as severe when they produce at least one of the following:
3/4 inch diameter Hail
57 mph Wind
a Tornado
Please remember that straight-line winds of 100 mph can be just as dangerous and deadly as the rotating winds of a tornado! |
|
|
|
What Not to Do |
If our tornado sirens are activated, or you
learn of a tornado or severe thunderstorm warning via other means,
Don't go outside to look around
Don't go to a window to look around
Don't call 9-1-1 or the Police/Fire Departments
Instead, take cover immediately!
Then if you want more information, turn on the television or radio to a local station. The local media covers severe weather events extremely well. Please do not call 9-1-1 or the local public safety agencies. These agencies will be extremely busy responding to the direct threat posed by the weather.
Only call 9-1-1 if you have an emergency.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated!
Don't take shelter under a highway overpass. Bridges offer no protection from the horizontal missles borne by tornado winds. |
|
|
What the City of Moore does during Severe Weather |
The Emergency Management & Communications Department of the City of Moore monitors weather conditions and forecasts year-round for weather which might impact the City. When severe weather occurs within a 60-75 mile radius of Moore, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is activated, and our volunteer staff put on alert. These trained personnel, mostly members of the Oklahoma County and University REACT radio communications teams drive to areas near the approaching storms and watch for weather which may threaten our citizens.
Our EOC staff monitors these reports, along with bulletins from the National Weather Service and reports from other area EOCs to determine if and when specific warning for the residents of Moore is warranted. If a tornado directly threatens the City of Moore, the EOC will activate our warning sirens and interrupt cable television programming with up-to-the-second information. Emergency Management personnel will continue to track all severe weather, and coordinate the emergency response to any damaged area.
|
|
|
Watches and Warnings |
A WATCH is issued when expert meteorologists at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman determine that severe thunderstorms or tornadoes are possible. These watches are generally issued for large areas, such as all of western Oklahoma. A WATCH means to continue normal activities, but to keep an eye to the sky.
A WARNING is issued by meteorologists at local weather service offices when severe weather or tornadoes are actually occurring. When a WARNING is issued, you should TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY if you are in the path of the storm!
| |
|
|
|
