04/14/2017
3 WAYS TO PROTECT AGAINST THE UNPREDICTABLE
-adapted from Texas Heritage for Living Magazine, Spring 2017
Preparing for severe weather threats can be as simple as getting familiar with important weather terms, having the right equipment on hand, and protecting your home and your belongings with insurance coverage.
LEARN THE LINGO. Brush up on tornado-related vocabulary to help decode tv weather reports.
**Tornado watch is issued by local National Weather Service (NWS) offices when weather conditions in a specific area favor development of a tornado.
**Tornado warning is issued by NWS when an actual tornado funnel has been sighted or detected by weather radar.
**Supercell is a strong thunderstorm with a rotating updraft that can last for hours and produce large hail, flooding, lightning, strong winds, and tornadoes.
**Tornado family is a series of tornadoes produced by a single supercell that can result in destruction along the same general line.
**The Enhanced Fujita Scale has been used in the United States since 2007 and measures tornado strength on the damage it causes, Six ratings range from the least severe - E0, with winds gusting for three seconds between 65 and 85 miles per hour - to most severe - EF5, with three-second gusts of more than 200 miles per hour.
(Visit noaa.gov to see a glossary of additional terms.)
GET THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT. Respected Birmingham, Alabama-based certified meteorologist has long advocated for better tornado warning systems and safety measures for residents, even more so since 62 tornadoes ripped through Alabama and killed 252 people on April 27, 2011. To protect against injury and loss of life during a tornado, Spann recommends that residents:
**Have the same kind of helmets available for both kids an adults during tornado watches and warnings that they would wear when bicycling or at batting practice.
**Purchase an NOAA Weather Radio or use an app sch as "Weather Radio by WDT" by Weather Decision Technologies Inc. to get real-time weather alerts. Don't rely on outdoor sirens, which homeowners may not hear. (Read more at nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather )
VERIFY INSURANCE COVERAGE. Insurance agents recommend that homeowners:
**Take a home inventory on paper or with digital pictures and video. Be sure to keep all photos, video and your home inventory evaluation in a safe place, such as a safety deposit box, or cloud storage service.
**Talk to your insurance agent about policy riders or separate personal article policies to ensure adequate coverage.
**Remember that thunderstorms can cause flash flooding, and flood insurance is NOT a part of your standard homeowners policy. It must be purchased separately.
-brought to you as a public service by Floyd Ellis Company, Public Insurance Adjusters. If you have property damage, let us assist you through the process. You will be glad you did.