Severe Weather Awareness Week: Tornado Drills Thursday

Minnesota had 37 tornadoes in 2016, two of them occurring in Beltrami County.  Minnesota Severe Weather Awareness Week is April 17th-21st, 2017 and Emergency Management Offices across the state are encouraging all residents and visitors to familiarize themselves with the hazards that summer season brings.  The hazards are more than just the obvious like damaging windstorms and tornadoes; heat related injuries and illness could be life threatening if left untreated or appropriate preventative actions are not taken.

Two tornado drills will be conducted on Thursday, the first at 1:45PM and the second at 6:55PM. Outdoor warning sirens will be sounded. Emergency Management Offices across the state encourage everyone to participate in the tornado drills. The first one is intended for practice at the workplace or at school and the later drill is for second shift workers and for families to practice at home. Beltrami County’s outdoor warning siren policy indicates sirens will be sounded for intense severe thunderstorms with wind in excess of 70MPH and tornado warnings.