I had the chance to hear ABC 33/40 Meteorologist, Jim Spann, speak at a luncheon program this week, and I have to say that he is a very inspirational speaker. The topic of his speech was lessons learned from the storms of April 27, 2011. Spann said that for him each life lost on that day was a personal failure, where he had to look at himself in the mirror and ask, “What could I have done differently, that might have made a difference for that life.”
Spann said that in the months since Alabama’s most deadly storm of the century there are some lessons that have been learned that could save lives in the next natural disaster. The number one thing that Spann said has to be changed is that the general public must stop waiting to hear weather sirens to respond. Weather sirens are not meant to be a primary warning system. They are in fact a back-up system primarily intended to reach persons who are outdoors and away from media sources. Spann feels that of the 252 persons who died that day, 220 or more might still be alive if early warning systems had been better utilized.
At that point he made a simple request of everyone in the room. He said, “If you want to take away just one thing from what I say today, take that I believe that every home should have a programmed weather radio, and that every smart phone owner should have a quality weather app on their phone.” Spann says that the secret to making the early warning system more effective is as simple as taking these two steps. And I would reinforce, that when threatening weather occurs keep one of these devices close by.
Spann also offered some advice on what we should not do when a storm approaches. He noted that no one should ever stay in a mobile home in the face of expected tornadoes. In most cases a tornado is going to send mobile homes airborne and the probability of survival is low. The same can be said if you are in automobile and find yourself suddenly exposed to a tornado. You should exit your vehicle and try to find a ditch to take cover in. Spann noted three personal items he would recommend that everyone have available during a storm. Those items were: a good helmet, hard soled shoes, and an air horn. Especially for children helmets can provide an extra layer of protection that could be the difference between death or severe injury, and a child that is able to walk away. Hard soled shoes are important because of the hazardous materials that get thrown around by a storm. You may be faced with broken glass, metals, chemicals, God only knows, and hard shoes will offer at least some protection. Finally if you get trapped under debris first responders are trained to listen for the sound of air horns as signs of distress.
No one can predict with certainty when the next storm will strike or what its severity will be. But these are simple steps you can take to make sure you and your family have the greatest chance for not only survival, but also for limiting damage to yourselves.
Special thanks to Jim Spann for sharing and for the obvious compassion he has to make sure he does everything he can to help this community through the next disaster experience. What an incredible way to serve.
Or at least that’s the way I see it.
(Do you have a question or comment on this column? Look me up on Facebook/HollisWormsby or email me at hjwormsby@aol.com.)
