WAPAKONETA, OH (WLIO) - 2024 has been a damaging year of weather for Ohio. The Buckeye State has recorded an unprecedented 70 tornadoes this year alone, which surpasses the previous record of most tornadoes in a year of 62 set back in 1992. Auglaize County has been particularly hard hit this year with an EF-1, an EF-2, and the intense March 14th EF-3 tornado causing damage and even total destruction.
Auglaize County has been particularly hard hit this year with an EF-1, an EF-2, and the intense March 14th EF-3 tornado causing damage and even total destruction.
With the calendar in September, it is National Preparedness Month, and Conner took a trip to Wapakoneta to talk with Auglaize County EMA director, Troy Anderson.
"National Preparedness Month for September this year is communications. We're asking that families sit down, you know, either at night, at the dinner table, or at a certain event, and they discuss how to be better prepared," says Troy Anderson, director of the Auglaize County EMA.
The Buckeye State has recorded an unprecedented 70 tornadoes this year alone, which surpasses the previous record of most tornadoes in a year of 62 set back in 1992.
So where do you start the conversation? A good place would be to come up with certain scenarios and develop plans for each possible event.
"Go through a scenario: 'Hey, if we get this notification and we're at home, where do we go?' If mom and dad are not home, that's help the children or let the babysitter know this is the point of location in a house where we need to take precautions at. If they're out on the ball diamond, where do they need to go? Make sure that everything is updated and ready to go, especially this time of year we're at sports," Anderson explains.
Having a weather survival kit is crucial as well, and Anderson shared some tips on how to get that kit started.
Having a weather survival kit is crucial as well, and Anderson shares some tips on how to get that kit started.
"In that kit, put bottled water; contact information, and when I mean contact information, family phone numbers, doctor information; don't forget your pets; put the vet information, their license information in there as well; the food for the pet; going back to the family members, if they have any medicines, they need to make sure that they have the information," Anderson adds.
Being ready is critically important because dangerous storms can happen at any time.
