Prepare Now for Spring Severe Weather

3/16/2022 (Permalink)

According to the National Weather Service, March marks the start of the spring severe weather season.

Date published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reveals that severe weather events are becoming more frequent and more devastating. NOAA reports that the period from 1981-2021 saw an annual average of 7.4-billion-dollar weather and climate events (adjusted to today’s costs). When they looked at only the five most recent years (2017-2021), the annual average grew to 17.2 events. Last year alone (2021) delivered 20 “billion-dollar” weather or climate events.

Whenever you have warm, moist air colliding with cool, dry air, you have the conditions for creating a thunderstorm, along with the possibility of lightning strikes, flood, hail, high winds, rip currents, and even wildfires and tornadoes. The problem is, you can’t prevent these severe weather events and you can’t predict very far in advance when and where they will hit. The only sensible approach is to take steps in advance to protect your family and property.

We urge area home and business owners to check out state and federal resources online for tips on planning and preparing for a severe weather emergency now, as the spring severe weather season arrives. One such resource is the National Center for Environmental Health of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which offers suggestions for creating an emergency kit and preparing family members for severe weather emergencies at https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/springweather/index.html

Each year SERVPRO of Hannibal professionals respond to scenes of weather-related mayhem, helping families and business owners recover from flooding, fire, wind damage and more.