Spring is nigh upon us — it starts Wednesday, in fact — and with it comes what Oklahoma typically considers storm season.
Tulsa County Emergency Manager Joe Kralicek said now is a good time to review your emergency plan and make sure you have a three-day supply of food, water, medication, and other essentials ready for everyone in your house. Then, gather some commonly overlooked items.
"Titles, deeds — make sure you have those in a go-bag ready to leave so if you do have to evacuate your house, you’ve got the supporting documentation at hand whenever it comes time to deal with your insurance company," Kralicek said.
While not everyone has a storm shelter, if you do, this is a good time to make sure it’s accessible and let other people know when you intend to ride out storms in there.
"Make sure that your whole family knows your emergency plan. Check your numbers, check with your family, let them know, 'Hey, I’ve got a shelter. If something happens, I’ll be down in there,'" Kralicek said.
Oonce you’re done making preparations, it’s a good idea to start thinking about severe weather as a 12-month season.
"History shows us that yes, the spring is our most active storm season, but we do have storms … any time throughout the year. You know, August, December — we’ve had tornadoes all those months," Kralicek said.
Kralicek said it’s good to have at least four sources of weather information, like radio, TV, a weather radio and apps.
If you don’t have an emergency plan yet, guides are available through Ready.gov or the Tulsa Ready smartphone app.
