Severe Weather Preparedness Drill, Storms Arrive in Zapata (Page 4, English)

Storms Arrive

12:20 p.m.

The TV beeps, your weather radio sounds the alarm and your favorite radio station is interrupted. The storms have arrived.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for parts of Zapata County. Our Twitter and Facebook page also puts up this graphic.

Severe thunderstorm for Zapata, first graphic

What’s Important?

The warning gives you several important pieces of information. First, it tells where the warning is for, including several of the towns that are in the warning area. It also tells you that very large hail, up to baseball size, and damaging winds over 70 mph are expected. That can do a lot of damage! "Warning" also means it's happening NOW! There is a "n" in warning, but no "n" in watch, the "n" means NOW!

Also, you may notice our products are in ALL CAPS! No, we aren't yelling, it is currently how we are required to issue the warnings to make sure that every piece of equipment set up to recieve them works properly. This will probably change in the next few years, but for now ALL CAPS it is! Here is some additional information on what all the different segments and codes mean in our warnings.

What Do You Do Now?

Where are you? Are you in the warning?
If so, take cover, stop what you are doing and take action.

The bottom of every warning will have what is called a "Call-to-Action" statement, it provides you with extra information and suggestions on how to stay safe. In this case the "Call-to-Action" says:

THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY LARGE HAIL THAT COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY TO THOSE CAUGHT OUTDOORS...SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OR DESTRUCTION OF ROOFS AND VEHICLES...AND BREAK WINDOWS. PERSONS IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES SHOULD MOVE IMMEDIATELY TO STRONGER SHELTER.

So if you are in the warning area make sure you are indoors! Protect your property if there is time and find a safe place to stop if you are in a car. If you are in a mobile home it's not safe to stay there! Move to a safer location such as a sturdy business or friends house, but move quickly, it's almost too late!

If you aren't in the warning, is it close by? If so keep up your monitoring and be ready to act if the storms move closer or develop near you.