WASHINGTON, DC – Are you prepared for when severe weather strikes? The month of March marks the National Weather Service Severe Weather Safety Campaign. Our nation’s forests and grasslands see a wide variety of severe weather each year, and as warmer weather rapidly approaches, now is the time to prepare. Severe weather can include thunderstorms that bring damaging winds, large hail, tornadoes, lightning, flooding, and flash flooding, as well as winter storms with associated freezing rain, sleet, snow and strong winds.

2023 brought 28 separate billion-dollar disasters that impacted the United States. Of those, 19 were due to severe weather and tornado outbreaks, many which affected Forest Service lands. This past year there were over 30 separate tornadic events affecting Forest Service lands to include the Delta, Bankhead and Hoosier National Forests, catastrophic atmospheric rivers in California and flash flooding in the Sierra and Sequoia National Forests.

Because severe weather can occur anywhere in the United States, it is important that you Know your Risk and Take Action. 

Know your Risk: What type of hazardous weather occurs where you live and work? The FEMA National Risk Index is an online tool that illustrates communities at risk for natural hazards. This tool can help to examine social vulnerability and community resilience as it relates to natural hazards.

Take Action: Make a plan and practice that plan. Know what to do when severe weather strikes. This includes identifying shelter-in-place locations at your home and workplace. Visit www.ready.gov/plan for more information on how to develop an emergency preparedness plan for you and your family.  

Spring Safety
Know the difference between a Flash Flood Emergency and Flash Flood Warning. Remember – turn around, don’t drown! Do not attempt to drive through flooded roads. Know where areas are prone to flooding in the areas that you work.  As part of your daily safety briefing, check local weather forecasts for increased risk of severe weather and the potential for flash flooding.  If you must work in areas with flood risk, know evacuation routes and areas of refuge.

When thunder roars, go indoors! Your chance of being struck by lightning greatly increases when remaining outdoors during a thunderstorm. Know your local unit safety procedures for lighting hazards and what you and your crew will do in the event of lighting in the area you are working.

Know what to do when there is a tornado warning! Stay informed through your local news or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio, keep Wireless Emergency Alerts enabled on your cellular device and take immediate action and find shelter if there is a tornado warning. If you hear of tornado warnings in your area, make sure that other employees know of these hazards by announcing tornado warnings through radios and messaging tools.  

Wireless Emergency Alerts can alert you when weather threatens! These alerts are pushed to your mobile phone during life-threatening situations. Ensure you have emergency alerts enabled on your device. If going into a remote area with no cell service, check the forecast before you head out and have a plan should severe weather strike. 

Visit www.ready.gov/severe-weather for more information on how to prepare for severe weather in your area. 

Resources: 
USDA Forest Service Emergency Management
NOAA Storm Prediction Center
NOAA National Weather Service
Wireless Emergency Alerts

For additional information on preparing for severe weather at your local unit, contact the Forest Service National Emergency Management Team at SM.FS.EM@usda.gov.