{"id":22165,"date":"2025-03-21T13:23:39","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T17:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/?p=22165"},"modified":"2026-05-19T12:47:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T16:47:09","slug":"severe-weather-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/2025\/03\/21\/severe-weather-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"Severe Weather Awareness\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It might feel like we\u2019ve only just finished our winter weather (good riddance!), but that means it\u2019s time to start preparing for spring severe weather, like tornadoes and flash flooding.<\/p>\n<p>RHHD\u2019s Emergency Preparedness &amp; Response Coordinator, Ed Porner, says that our spring preparations require a little more planning ahead than our winter ones: \u201cUnlike snowstorms, tornadoes and floods \u2013 can pop up with only hours of warning,\u201d he explains. \u201cWhile the sky is still blue, it\u2019s a great time to ensure you have an emergency kit, have practiced emergency procedures with your family, and have identified shelter locations in the buildings where you spend the most time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Keep reading for more preparedness tips from RHHD, and visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ready.gov\/\">ready.gov<\/a> for even more severe weather advice!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Preparing for <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ready.gov\/severe-weather\"><strong>severe weather<\/strong><\/a><strong>:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Identify safe shelters where you spend the most time. At your home, office, or school, find a small room or hallway with no windows, in a basement or first floor. Once you\u2019ve identified your shelter, make sure you communicate that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ready.gov\/plan\"><strong>plan<\/strong><\/a> with family members or coworkers, so everyone knows where to go when a tornado warning sounds.<\/li>\n<li>Choose your reliable news source and stay up to date on the weather.<\/li>\n<li>Register for an in-person or online <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weather.gov\/skywarn\/\"><strong>SKYWARN<\/strong><\/a> class to learn how to spot and report dangerous storm systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Stay prepared for any emergency situation:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Store important family documents, such as copies of insurance policies; identification documents; and bank account records, in a waterproof, portable container or make sure they are saved electronically.<\/li>\n<li>Keep medications in a central location for easy evacuation if needed.<\/li>\n<li>Prepare a \u201cgo-bag\u201d with clothes, toys and toiletries for five days.<\/li>\n<li>Know, and practice, your safe spaces and exits.<\/li>\n<li>Identify friends, neighbors, and relatives who might need extra help during an emergency; generate a phone tree or other contact strategy for checking in on them.<\/li>\n<li>Choose a central spot to reunite with your family if you get separated.<\/li>\n<li>Update your insurance yearly and consider flood insurance. Most insurance companies do NOT pay for flooding damage through a standard homeowner\u2019s policy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are a lot of tasks! As you\u2019re planning for spring cleaning or enjoying a spring break, try choosing one or two steps a week to get you started. With a little planning, we can take care of ourselves and each other even during extreme weather!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It might feel like we\u2019ve only just finished our winter weather (good riddance!), but that means it\u2019s time to start preparing for spring severe weather, like tornadoes and flash flooding. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":590,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"modified_by":"bryanhooten","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Severe Weather Awareness\u00a0 - Richmond City Health Department<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/2025\/03\/21\/severe-weather-awareness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Severe Weather Awareness\u00a0 - Richmond City Health Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It might feel like we\u2019ve only just finished our winter weather (good riddance!), but that means it\u2019s time to start preparing for spring severe weather, like tornadoes and flash flooding. 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