Burlington, Ia- The National Weather Service (NWS) and the Des Moines County Emergency Management Agency has declared March 22nd through March 26th as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa.
One of the major components of this week is the annual Iowa Statewide Tornado Drill. This drill will take place at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, March 24, 2021. This drill will look slightly different than in the past due to the COVID precautions being taken by many agencies, including the NWS. There will not be a test watch or warning issued through the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which includes the weather radio system, radio and television stations announcements, and cell phone alerts, as has been done in the past. However, everyone is being asked to participate in a drill wherever they are at 11:00 AM as part of the Required Weekly Test of the All Hazard Weather Radio System.
Des Moines County Emergency Management Coordinator Gina Hardin says that the outdoor warning sirens for Des Moines County will also be tested at 11:00 AM on the 24th as part of the drill. The sirens within the county, except the sirens within the cities of Danville and Mediapolis (which run continuously), are programmed to run for 2 minutes on, be off for 5 minutes and then run again for 2 minutes. During an actual storm event, this cycle will continue for the duration of the threat. However, for this test, they will run for 2 minutes, turn off for 5 minutes, and after they reactivate, they will be turned off. Danville and Mediapolis sirens will be shut off promptly after they are confirmed as being activated.
