Severe Weather Preparedness Week begins with tornado and storm safety

Deputy Director of Brunswick County (NC) Emergency Management Services shares tips on preparing before storm season

LELAND, NC (WWAY) – –   Protecting yourself, your family and your home during a severe storm takes on special meaning this time of year as Severe Weather Preparedness Week gets underway in North Carolina.

All week, WWAY meteorologists will be sharing tips to stay safe in potentially dangerous weather.

Monday’s topic is severe thunderstorms and tornados.

Deputy Director of Brunswick County (NC) Emergency Management David McIntire stopped by WWAY’s Good Morning Carolina and told Meteorologist Ramel Carpenter

some precautions families can take now.

They include:

• Trim trees to remove overhanging branches and dead, dying or diseased trees.
•  Get a home lightning surge protector to keep electrical equipment safe from power surges
• Install protective screens on HVAC units to reduce the chance of costly hail damage
• Select a wind-rated garage door.  High winds can push a garage door inward, allowing pressure to cause a cascade of structural damage to your entire home.
• Upgrade to steel gutters & downspouts. Steel is stronger than vinyl and aluminum
• Upgrade shingles to Good or Excellent-rated to reduce damage from hail, perhaps qualify you for an insurance discount.

Here are the Severe Weather Preparedness topics for the rest of the week:

• Tuesday: Severe Weather Alerts and Tornado Drill
• Wednesday: High Winds, Hail and Tornadoes
• Thursday: Lightning
• Friday: Flash Floods

The WWAY Stormtrack 3 Weather Team will be programming NOAA Weather Radios at several locations throughout the area this week.

Tuesday our meteorologists will be at the Wrigglesworth Ace Hardware at 3516 South College Rd. in Wilmington.

Wednesday, look for them at Pierce and Co. General Store at 4229 Sam Potts Hwy. in Hallsboro

And Thursday, they’ll be answering questions and programming radios at the B & K General Store, 315 US Highway 117 South in Burgaw.