Cumberland County Emergency Services has joined the National Weather Service and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety in observing Severe Weather Preparedness Week March 7-13.
Schools and government buildings statewide will hold a tornado drill Wednesday, March 10, at 9:30 a.m. Test messages will be broadcast on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radios and the Emergency Alert System. All North Carolinians are encouraged to participate in the drill.
“Now is the time to get prepared for severe weather as the season begins to change and the temperature increases,” said Cumberland County Emergency Services Director Gene Booth. “We all need to be prepared for the unexpected.”
Severe weather topics covered during this safety campaign include:
- Ways to receive severe weather alerts
- Staying safe when high winds, hail and tornadoes strike
- Lighting safety
- Flash flood safety
- Tips for making a written severe weather safety plan
For a helpful toolkit to get started on your emergency plan, visit https://www.ready.gov/plan.
Receive Cumberland Alerts on Your Phone
Cumberland Alerts provides many features in an easy-to-use format. Users will be able to personalize their notifications by selecting the location-based weather alerts they want to receive as well as how they would like to receive those alerts. Additionally, users will receive geographic-based alerts for situations such as law enforcement activity, missing persons and more. Alerts can be sent by voice or text communication to multiple devices including computers, land lines, cell phones and tablets.
When an alert is issued, a notification about a potential safety hazard or concern will be sent to subscribers by the communication path for which they registered. Users can confirm they have received the message and will not be contacted by any subsequent methods regarding that notification. If a user does not confirm, the system will continue to attempt to reach the user using all the contact paths they selected.
For more information about severe weather in Cumberland County, subscribe to Cumberland Alerts at www.co.cumberland.nc.us/alerts. You may also follow the County’s website or social media at co.cumberland.nc.us or facebook.com/CumberlandNC.