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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
800 AM EDT WED MAR 04 2009

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                     TORNADO DRILL TODAY 930 AM
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THE ANNUAL SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK TORNADO DRILL IS TODAY. AT
930 AM, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES ALL OVER THE STATE OF NORTH
CAROLINA WILL ISSUE A TEST ALERT MESSAGE OVER NOAA WEATHER RADIO IN
THE FORM OF A REQUIRED MONTHLY TEST. THE DRILL IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
OUR SCHOOLS, BUSINESSES, AND RESIDENTS TO PRACTICE THEIR TORNADO
SAFETY PLANS. FOR THOSE WITHOUT PLANS, THIS IS THE OPPORTUNE TIME TO
SIT DOWN AND DEVELOP A PLAN TO PROTECT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

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            SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN NORTH CAROLINA
                            MARCH 01 - 07, 2009
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TORNADOES ARE ONE OF NATURES MOST VIOLENT PHENOMENA. TORNADO SEASON
TYPICALLY STARTS IN THE SPRING MONTHS OF MARCH...APRIL AND MAY.
TORNADOES HAVE TOUCHED DOWN IN THE STATE IN ALL MONTHS WITH THE
LARGEST NUMBER OF TORNADO RELATED FATALITIES OCCURRING IN MARCH.
OTHER MONTHS WITH HIGH NUMBERS OF TORNADO RELATED FATALITIES INCLUDE
MAY AND NOVEMBER.

VIOLENT TORNADOES WITH WINDS IN EXCESS OF 150 MPH HAVE STRUCK THE
AREA AS EARLY AS MARCH AND AS LATE AS NOVEMBER. THE WORST TORNADO
OUTBREAK IN NORTH CAROLINA HISTORY OCCURRED IN MARCH OF 1984 WHEN
SEVERAL VIOLENT TORNADOES TRACKED FROM THE TOWN OF RED SPRING
THROUGH KENANSVILLE, KINSTON, GREENVILLE AND SNOW HILL. LATE SEASON
TORNADO OUTBREAKS OCCUR AS LATE AS NOVEMBER AS IN THE CASE OF THE
RALEIGH 1988 TORNADO AND THE DEADLY TORNADOES OF LAST NOVEMBER WHICH
STRUCK KENLY AND ELM CITY.

JUST LAST YEAR, A NUMBER OF DEADLY TORNADIC SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS
STRUCK THE STATE RESULTING IN AS MANY AS 10 STRONG TO VIOLENT
TORNADOES RATED ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE AS EF2 AND HIGHER WITH
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 130 MPH. THESE TORNADOES CLAIMED 3 LIVES, INJURED
DOZENS MORE AND LEFT MANY FAMILIES HOMELESS RESULTING IN OVER 15
MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGES. MANY OF THESE TORNADOES ALSO STRUCK AT
NIGHT AS EVERYONE SLEPT CATCHING MANY INDIVIDUALS OFF GUARD DESPITE
WARNING LEAD TIMES AVERAGING 20 MINUTES. THESE NIGHT TIME MONSTERS
HAVE A HISTORY OF BEING PARTICULARLY DEADLY IN NORTH CAROLINA.

A RECENT STUDY OF TORNADOES FOUND THAT NORTH CAROLINA WAS RANKED
FIRST IN THE NATION WITH THE GREATEST PERCENTAGE OF KILLER NIGHT
TIME TORNADOES. OF ALL THE TORNADO FATALITIES SINCE 1950, EIGHTY-TWO
PERCENT OF TORNADO FATALITIES HAVE OCCURRED AT NIGHT. COMPARE THIS
WITH THE FACT THAT ONLY ABOUT TWENTY-EIGHT PERCENT OF ALL TORNADOES
ACTUALLY TOUCH DOWN AT NIGHT. A POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANT REASON FOR
HIGH FATALITY RATES IN NORTH CAROLINA COMPARED TO HIGH-RISK AREAS
LIKE TORNADO ALLEY COULD BE THE PREVALENCE OF NIGHT TIME TORNADOES
IN MARCH, MAY AND NOVEMBER. THE STRONGER TORNADOES TEND TO STRIKE
DURING THESE THREE MONTHS.

TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO VISUALLY IDENTIFY AT NIGHT BY BOTH THE
PUBLIC AND TRAINED SPOTTERS. EVEN WHEN WARNINGS ARE PROVIDED AT
NIGHT, THE PUBLIC IS LESS LIKELY TO RECEIVE THAT WARNING DUE TO
NORMAL SLEEPING PATTERNS. IN ADDITION, RESIDENTS HAVE A TENDENCY TO
BE IN MORE VULNERABLE HOUSING AND BUILDING STRUCTURES (E.G., MOBILE
OR MANUFACTURED AND SINGLE FAMILY HOMES)DURING THE NIGHT IN
COMPARISON TO SAFER LOCATIONS (E.G., SCHOOL OR PLACE OF WORK IN
STEEL OR REINFORCED-CONCRETE BUILDINGS) DURING THE DAY. WHETHER AT
HOME OR WORK REMEMBER, WHEN PROPER PLANNING AND ACTION COME TOGETHER
LIVES ARE SAVED.

IN ESSENCE A TORNADO IS A VIOLENTLY ROTATING COLUMN OF AIR EXTENDING
FROM A THUNDERSTORM TO THE GROUND. TORNADOES CAN OCCUR VIRTUALLY ANY
TIME OF THE YEAR AND ANY TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT. MOST TORNADO DEATHS
AND INJURIES ACROSS THE STATE HAVE OCCURRED OUTDOORS, IN
AUTOMOBILES, AND MOBILE HOMES. WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED FOR
YOUR AREA OR IF YOU SPOT A TORNADO...SEEK SHELTER IN A SUBSTANTIAL
BUILDING. THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN AN INTERIOR BATHROOM OR CLOSET. PUT
AS MANY WALLS BETWEEN YOU AND THE OUTSIDE AS POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY
FROM WINDOWS AS DEBRIS PICKED UP BY A TORNADO CAN EASILY SHATTER A
WINDOW AND ENTER YOUR HOUSE.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTDOORS...SEEK SHELTER IN A LOW SPOT LIKE A DITCH
OR CULVERT. YOU WANT TO GET AS LOW AS POSSIBLE TO PROTECT YOURSELF
FROM ALL OF THE FLYING DEBRIS IN A TORNADO. THE DEBRIS WITHIN THE
TORNADO IS WHAT CAUSES NEARLY ALL OF THE INJURIES AND DEATHS. IF YOU
ARE IN YOUR CAR AND THREATENED BY A TORNADO...ABANDON YOUR VEHICLE
AND SEEK SHELTER IN A SUBSTANTIAL STRUCTURE OR IN A DITCH. NEVER TRY
TO OUTRUN A TORNADO IN A VEHICLE. TORNADOES DO NOT TRAVEL IN
STRAIGHT LINES AND IT CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE WHAT
DIRECTION THE TORNADO IS MOVING.

ALSO NEVER SEEK SHELTER FROM A TORNADO UNDER AN OVERPASS. THERE IS
NO SAFE PLACE UNDER AN OVERPASS. IN FACT SEEKING SHELTER UNDER AN
OVERPASS PUTS YOU MORE AT RISK FROM VIOLENT WINDS AND FLYING DEBRIS.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL ISSUE TORNADO WATCHES WHEN
CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO PRODUCE TORNADOES.
ONCE A TORNADO IS SPOTTED OR DETECTED BY RADAR...THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE WILL ISSUE A TORNADO WARNING. ANY TIME A TORNADO
WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA...TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE
AS WELL AS THE LIVES OF YOUR FAMILY.

$$