As severe weather moves through the area this morning and into the afternoon, Escambia County Emergency Management encourages residents to stay alert and stay safe.
As a precaution, the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center has been activated at a Level 2, or partial activation, so that staff can monitor the storm and be ready to respond in case of severe weather impacts. In a partial activation, only specific emergency support functions under the county’s emergency plan are called in.
Escambia County is under a Tornado Watch until 1 p.m. today, and severe thunderstorms are also expected. According to the National Weather Service, potential weather threats include tornadoes, isolated hail and isolated wind gusts up to 60 mph.
Follow these tips to stay safe during severe weather:
- In the event of a Tornado Warning, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of your home or building. Stay away from windows.
- Turn around, don't drown: In the event of a roadway covered by water, do not attempt to drive over the flooded road. Water depth may be misleading, and you could end up stranded or trapped.
- Pay extra attention to local weather reports until the storm has moved through the area. Be sure to keep your weather radio on and your cell phone charged to ensure you can receive weather alerts.
For the latest information on severe weather impacting Escambia County, residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts on myescambia.com, like Escambia County Emergency Management on Facebook and follow @BeReadyEscambia on Twitter.
For more information, please contact the Office of Community and Media Relations at 850-471-6462.
