While the threat of severe weather in Mississippi will last into the late evening hours and possibly into Thursday morning, it’s not too early to ask the question, what do I do after a tornado? Ready.gov has the answer.
- “Keep listening to EAS, NOAA Weather Radio, and local authorities for updated information.
- If you are trapped, cover your mouth with a cloth or mask to avoid breathing dust. Try to send a text, bang on a pipe or wall, or use a whistle instead of shouting.
- Stay clear of fallen power lines or broken utility lines.
- Do not enter damaged buildings until you are told that they are safe.
- Save your phone calls for emergencies. Phone systems are often down or busy after a disaster. Use text messaging or social media to communicate with family and friends.
- If you are sick and need medical attention, contact your healthcare provider for further care instructions and shelter in place, if possible. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 and let the operator know if you have, or think you might have, COVID-19. If possible, put on a mask before help arrives. If staying at a shelter or public facility, alert shelter staff immediately so they can call a local hospital or clinic.
- Be careful during clean-up. Wear thick-soled shoes, long pants, and work gloves. Use appropriate face coverings or masks if cleaning mold or other debris, and maintain a physical distance of at least six feet while working with someone else.
- Cloth masks help prevent the spread of COVID-19, but they will not adequately protect you from inhaling mold like a respirator will. Respirators, like an N-95, are not meant to fit children. Due to COVID-19, it may be difficult to find respirators, such as N-95s.
- People with asthma and other lung conditions and/or immune suppression should not enter buildings with indoor water leaks or mold growth that can be seen or smelled, even if they do not have an allergy to mold. Children should not take part in disaster cleanup work.
- Continue taking steps to protect yourself from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, by washing your hands often and cleaning commonly touched surfaces.
- Engage virtually with your community through video and phone calls.”
Flash flooding is also possible as a result of the storms, so make sure that you avoid flooded roads. As always “turn around, don’t drown.”
So far, we’ve seen a tornado touch down in Wayne County and reports have emerged about another in the Brookhaven area.
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