This is Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week in Wisconsin.
Door County Emergency Services Director Eric Christensen says a good start to staying vigilant about severe weather is to simply keep up on the latest forecast. But he says there's no substitute for keeping an eye on the sky, a point underscored last year on the 4th of July.
Christensen says weather radios are also a great way to stay abreast of severe weather.
Christensen says the weather radios are available at the Door County Emergency Services office. Kewaunee County's Emergency Management Department also sells the radios.
Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes annually. A statewide tornado drill was postponed from Thursday to Friday because of the threat of severe weather in some parts of the state. If severe weather threatens again on Friday it will be cancelled.
Some tornado safety tips are below.
Tornado Safety at Home, Work, or at Play - Listen, Act, and Live • In a home or building, avoid windows. Move to a basement, and get under a sturdy table or the stairs. A specially-constructed "safe room" within a building offers the best protection. Use an internet search engine and search for "safe room" for more information. • If a basement is not available, move to a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor and cover yourself with towels, blankets or pillows. If possible, get under a sturdy table, desk or counter. Put as many walls as possible between you and the storm. • If caught outdoors, seek shelter in a sturdy building. If you cannot quickly walk to shelter, get into a vehicle, buckle your seatbelt and drive to the closest sturdy shelter. If flying debris occurs while you are driving, pull over and park. Now you have two options as a last resort: - Stay in the vehicle with the seatbelt on and place your head below the windows. - If you can safely get noticeably lower than the roadway, exit the vehicle and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands. Do not seek shelter under an overpass. • Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes. You should leave a mobile home and go to the designated storm shelter or the lowest floor of a sturdy nearby building. • At school, follow the drill. Go to the interior hall or room. Crouch low, head down, and protect the back of your head with your arms. Stay away from windows and large open rooms like gyms and auditoriums.