Severe Weather Awareness Week in Alabama is Feb. 5-10.
Don’t be scared, be prepared.
Here are some simple ways to prepare for severe weather before it happens.
Make a plan.
Decide what you are going to do before the weather gets bad. Locate where you will go during severe storms. UA offers storm shelters and best available refuge areas for students, faculty and staff.
If you live in a house, locate a room on the lowest floor in the interior of the home away from windows as your safe place. If you live in an apartment, never stay on upper floors during a storm. Instead, move to the lowest floor and shelter in an interior hallway or laundry room.
Once you know where you’ll go during a storm, share that information with your family and friends.
Build an emergency kit.
Your emergency kit should consist of:
- Bicycle or sports helmet to protect your head from flying debris.
- Flashlight.
- Battery-powered or hand crank radio.
- Whistle to signal for help.
- Non-perishable food.
- Manual can opener.
- First aid kit and necessary health equipment.
- Antiseptic wipes or gel.
- Dust mask to filter contaminated air.
- Bottled water (one gallon per day per person).
- Cell phone with a charger and backup battery.
Purchase items for your emergency kit during Alabama’s 2023 Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday Feb. 24-26.
Get trained.
Learn first aid and CPR so you can assist others who might be injured during a severe weather event. UA offers Save A Life Training, or S.A.L.T, which teaches skills needed to help respond to and deliver life-saving care to someone in need before emergency services arrive. Classes are held from 9 to 11 a.m. on the third Friday of each month. For more information on S.A.L.T., contact Travis Parker at teparker2@ua.edu.
For more information on making your personal emergency plan, visit the Office of Emergency Management’s website.
Watch this video to learn more about how to prepare before severe weather strikes.