The Virginia Department of Emergency Management has announced that Tuesday, March 20th, will be the date for the annual Statewide Tornado Drill. The agency is encouraging schools, colleges, businesses and civic groups to register to participate. Virginia is coming off a year in which 51 twisters, the second highest number recorded, hit the state. The storms killed ten people, including two in Gloucester County, where a twister on April 17th caused more than 7 million dollars in damage.
The drill is meant to make people aware of what to do and where to go in the event a tornado is seen or a tornado warning is sounded. According to the emergency management website, everyone should go to the lowest interior location possible away from windows, and crouch against the wall with their hands covering their heads.
The description brings to mind the tornado drills we did when I was an elementary school student in Tennessee. I can remember crouching down against the hallway wall during the so-called "blue alert" drills.
Public schools will be among the most active participants in the tornado drill in March, and with good reason. Gloucester's Page Middle School was wrecked by last April's twister. Luckily, the storm hit on a Saturday and the school was vacant.
Colleges, too, can participate. Last April 27th, a large twister hit Farmville, just outside the campus of Longwood University.
For information about the upcoming Statewide Tornado Drill, visit the Virginia Department of Emergency Management's website.
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