Two people died in the storm and a lot of property was damaged. Some of it a total loss. People living in the Kenosha and Racine areas of Wisconsin are finding paper documents that were blown out of houses during that storm April 9.
Many of us think we're smarter than the weather guy when it comes to storm predictions. A Tornado Warning means one has been seen on the ground. It may not be in your yard or across the street. But, it might be. And conditions could develop one fast.
Joplin, Missouri residents who lived through a devastating storm in 2011 were surveyed by the National Weather Service and it turned out most people sought out more information when they heard the warning instead of immediately seeking shelter. 159 people died in that storm.
It will be a while before we will be told in advance that our block, but not the next one over will be assaulted by a severe storm. So, we need to act. Last summer, the TV radar made it look like the heavy storms were in the county south of us. The next day, we learned a tornado tore through houses and a school not more than a mile south.
Leave the video and photo journalism to the professionals and seek shelter in the lowest part of your home. Emergency personnel need roads as clear as possible to get help to areas that need it.
You can follow the storm from the basement either over your mobile device or a radio. In my experience, local radio is more reliable than phone or wireless internet connections during a storm.
Tomorrow afternoon, Wisconsin is staging rehearsals of Tornado watches and warnings. Schools and health facilities take part. Maybe this year, you should at least take a few minutes to consider where to go, what to do, and what to take with you to the shelter before a storm is bearing down.
As the Boy Scouts always advise us, "Be Prepared!"
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