Disaster Preparedness

a tornado off in the distance surrounded by dark gray clouds

Is Illinois part of a new tornado alley?

All About Weather
As of mid-September of this year, guess which state has had the most tornadoes for the year. Texas?  Kansas? Oklahoma? Alabama? Nope, it’s Illinois! As of September 11, Illinois has had 135 tornadoes. The state annual average is 54. Is this part of an ominous trend? What is “...
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Yellow siren on roof of brick building

What does it mean when warning sirens go off?

Ominous clouds and an approaching storm may be accompanied by the wail of a community siren. Other times they can be heard in the morning on what may be a nice day. What do the different blasts of the siren mean? Sirens are part of the Public Alert System to let those outdoors be aware of a local...
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aerial photo of hurricane moving toward east coast of United States

Hurricanes are nature's heat pumps

At the writing of this post on September 2, we are in the average peak week of hurricane activity for the Gulf of Mexico. Remnants of hurricane Ida are drenching the East Coast, and a new hurricane is currently out in the Atlantic. The Earth’s weather is a complex system of winds, moisture, and...
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Tornadoes may be moving to a town near you

During a storm, no one likes to hear the sound of the community tornado siren or weather alert going off. Everyone living in the Midwest has experienced those warnings, but few have experienced an actual tornado. My closest call with a tornado occurred when I was little, and it was actually in...
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