Post updated at 2:15 p.m. Friday, March 7:
As part of Severe Weather Preparedness Month, Douglas County Emergency Management will soon host a severe weather training session.
The two-hour workshop will include a series of weather-related training, including information about severe thunderstorm development, identification of storm features and safety tips. The training is free and open to the public, according to a news release from the county.
“Preparedness is the key to staying safe during severe weather events,” John Stipetich, deputy director of Emergency Management, said in the release. “By taking the necessary steps and staying informed, we can protect ourselves, our families and our communities.”
Spring often brings an increased chance of severe weather for Douglas County, including damaging winds, large hail, flooding and tornadoes, according to the release.
Stipetich emphasized the importance of residents having multiple ways to receive weather alerts and critical information during emergencies. One option is signing up for emergency alerts through the Northeast Kansas Regional Notification System.
“It’s essential that everyone knows the proper steps to take to ensure safety if severe weather strikes,” Stipetich said in the release.
The training will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 13 in Room 1111 of Capitol Federal Hall, 1654 Naismith Drive, on the University of Kansas campus. The event is in partnership with KU Emergency Management and the National Weather Service office in Topeka.
Throughout the month, Emergency Management staff members will provide information about weather terminology and safety guidelines regarding tornadoes, lightning, floods, wind and hail through social media and other mediums.
Staff were planning to participate in a statewide tornado drill March 5, but it was canceled because of the week’s severe weather. Instead, the county will test outdoor warning sirens and encouraging residents and businesses to test their emergency plans during a Douglas County tornado drill at noon Monday, March 10.
Sirens will be tested at noon on the first and third Mondays of the month through July.
See additional information and links to severe weather resources below. Douglas County is expected to see rain and high winds followed by possible snow this week; read more about that at this link.
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Severe weather resources
Get warm in Lawrence:
• See this page for locations to get warm during the day and overnight, where to get help for pets and more.
National Weather Service local office (Topeka):
• Find the latest weather forecast info and severe weather advisories for the Lawrence area at this link.
• In the event of rapidly changing severe weather, such as tornadoes, the NWS posts frequent updates on Twitter, @NWSTopeka. You do not need a Twitter account to see tweets from NWS.
• NWS is also on Facebook, facebook.com/NWSTopeka.
• Call 785-234-2592 to hear the forecast.
City of Lawrence snow info:
• The city has snow information and a map at lawrenceks.org/snow that shows information about road conditions and where snowplows have been. The city typically begins snow and ice control for residential roadways when 2 or more inches of snowfall or icing occurs.
Douglas County Emergency Management:
• Follow @DgCoEM on Twitter or Douglas County, KS- Emergency Management on Facebook, facebook.com/dgcoem.
• Sign up to receive emergency alerts at dgcoks.org/emalerts.
• Find lots of tips on severe weather and other emergency preparedness on DgCoEM’s website at douglascountyks.org/emergency-management.
• Report storm damage (for non-emergencies only, and after storm danger has passed) by calling the nonemergency dispatch line at 785-843-0250 or 785-832-7509.
Evergy outages:
• Check the status of power outages on the Evergy outage map, outagemap.evergy.com.
• Report a power outage at evergy.com/report-outage, or call 800-544-4857.
• For down powerlines, call Evergy’s emergency line, 800-383-1183, if above-ground lines are arcing or making contact with trees or vegetation. Call 911 immediately if overhead power lines are on the ground or a fire starts. Do not go near the line.
Highway conditions beyond Lawrence:
• KanDrive, an app and website from the Kansas Department of Transportation, has info on highway conditions statewide. KanDrive is available online at KanDrive.gov, and its app is available for download free on the App Store and Google Play.
Air quality:
• Check the current air quality index in Lawrence and elsewhere through AirNow, airnow.gov.
Latest Lawrence news:
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
