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Minnesota Department of Public Safety Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management |
Severe Weather Awareness Week Email Notifications:
Beginning with Severe Weather Awareness Week 2011, all announcements
and updates about our weather safety awareness campaigns will be sent electronically via email to our list of subscribers. To ensure
that you and your organization continue to receive the latest information about Severe Weather Awareness Week, including Tornado Drill
Day and other weather awareness programs and events, please go to our Weather Awareness Notification subscription page and provide
your email address. Click here to subscribe
For any questions or comments about this service please contact us at: dps.weatherawareness@state.mn.us
Monday – Thunderstorms, Hail, Straight-Line Winds, Lightning
- Thunderstorms, hail, straight line winds and heat waves cause extensive damage in Minnesota every year.
- The annual toll from hail alone is about $1 billion nationally.
- High temperatures can quickly cause heat exhaustion, especially in children and elderly persons.
- Lightning kills and injures more people than any other summer weather threat!
- 47 lightning fires took place in homes and business structures in 2007, resulting in damages of about $2.3 million.
More information from the National Weather Service
Tuesday – Severe Weather Warnings
- Severe weather warnings are issued to the public by the National Weather Service.
- Topics include the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and NOAA all-hazards weather radio.
- Personal weather alerts – The National Weather Service and many internet sites and local media outlets offer alerting services that can provide email, RSS feeds or text messages to cell phones, computers or other devices.
More information from the National Weather Service
Wednesday – Floods, Flash Floods
- In 1997, floods on the Red River and the Minnesota River affected 58 Minnesota counties, resulting in the largest Presidential disaster declaration in state history.
- The cost of response and recovery was estimated at $545 million dollars.
- Successful flood mitigation: Click here for photos of Red River floods of 1997 and 2006; see how mitigation projects completed after ’97 flood successfully affecting 2006 floodwaters
More information from the National Weather Service
Thursday – Tornado Drill Day
- Minnesota conducts two tornado drills on Thursday April 22, 2010. The first drill is statewide at 1:45 p.m. to allow schools, business, hospitals and other organizations to practice their emergency plans.
- The 2nd drill is at 6:55 p.m. in participating counties and is held to allow families and 2nd shift workers to also practice their plans.
- Click here for more tornado safety information and building shelter guides.
More information from the National Weather Service
Friday – Heat
- Heat-related fatalities outpace deaths in several other weather categories.
- Based on a national average from 1992-2001, excessive heat claimed 219 lives each year.
- By contrast, floods killed 88, tornadoes 57, lightning 52 and hurricanes 15.
Heat wave brochure [PDF] - Courtesy of the National Weather Service - Chanhassen
Official Heat index chart [PDF] - Courtesy of the National Weather Service - Chanhassen Office
Heat Symptoms [PDF] - Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Health
Keep Cool [PDF] - Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Health
Hot Weather Kills [PDF] - Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Health
More information from the National
Weather Service
Emergency and Community Health Outreach (ECHO)
ECHO Minnesota Collaborative is an organization that exists to ensure that people with limited English proficiency receive life-saving health and safety information. Sponsored by the Association of Minnesota Counties, ECHO TV broadcasts and website information deliver health and safety related information to Minnesota residents who speak: Hmong, Khmer, Lao, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.
In addition ECHO phone service also has information in Russian, Arabic, and Oromo as well. In and Emergency ECHO will offer information to help families respond to a major health or safety emergency in Minnesota. The type of emergency will determine how that information is delivered.
Click here to find air dates for ECHO TV shows including Severe Weather Awareness Information