Severe weather drills planned

By Melinda L. Lucas

As Shackelford County begins to throw off the blankets and move from winter into spring, preparations are being made for severe weather that often accompanies warmer temperatures.

Students at Nancy Smith Elementary School will practice their severe weather preparedness this week, according the NSES principal John Gallaher.

“We will complete our tornado and additional weather-related school safety drills this week,” he said on Tuesday.

Typically, the drill is not scheduled at a set time so administrators can see how well the staff and students are prepared.

Although there is no local SkyWarn class this spring, the National Weather Service offers those in various locations around the Big Country, including one in Anson on March 20.

Be Weather Ready

When severe weather threatens West Central Texas, the National Weather Service closely coordinates with local emergency managers, volunteer fire fighters, law enforcement officials, Skywarn storm spotters, storm chasers, and the media to help keep the public safe.

People can help protect themselves by being “weather ready” before a warning is issued by using the safety information found at the following government websites: www.weather.gov/safety and www.weather.gov/Owlie.