Storm Prep: Local EMA director encourages planning ahead for severe weather

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — The Jackson-Madison County Emergency Management Agency is coming up with their own plan for possible severe weather, and they need you to have one as well.

“Usually when we go under a tornado watch, that’s an automatic, ‘Hey, we’re going to open the EOC.’ We’ll start operations and go from start to finish,” said Jason Moore, Jackson-Madison County EMA Director.

Moore says he will be coordinating up to a dozen different groups, looking for any issues related to the storm. And while they are at the Emergency Operation Center, they need you at home to be weather aware.

“You obviously need to go ahead and plan for a safe space,” said Moore.

He says that needs to be the smallest, most central room on the lowest level of your house.

“The center of the house is probably the most sturdy part of the house, just because of your outside walls, windows, doors, those can crush.”

You need to put any important documents or items in a go-bag.

“If you have meds, you need your meds in there,” Moore said. “Important documents, you need to keep those safe: birth certificates, social security cards, things like that, you need to keep with you.”

And if you have a safe room, be sure to register it with your local fire department.

“Having a safe room is great. But if it’s covered up, and we don’t know that you’re there, we don’t know to come looking for you.”

Moore says that those sirens you hear are really for people who are outside, telling them to get to safety. But if you’re inside, you need a weather radio or to sign up for emergency notifications on your phone. On iPhones, that’s on the ‘settings’ tab under ‘notifications.’

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