000
NOUS44 KTSA 211046
PNSTSA

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
500 AM CST WED FEB 21 2007

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-211500-
BENTON AR-CARROLL AR-CRAWFORD AR-FRANKLIN AR-MADISON AR- 
SEBASTIAN AR-WASHINGTON AR-
500 AM CST WED FEB 21 2007

...TODAYS TOPIC FOR SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IS TORNADOES...

GOVERNOR MIKE BEEBE HAS PROCLAIMED THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 19TH 
THROUGH THE 23RD AS SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN ARKANSAS.

A DIFFERENT TOPIC WILL BE DISCUSSED EACH DAY...AND TODAYS TOPIC IS 
TORNADOES.

A TORNADO IS DEFINED AS A VIOLENTLY ROTATING COLUMN OF AIR IN 
CONTACT WITH THE GROUND AND PENDANT FROM A THUNDERSTORM.  AN AVERAGE 
OF 1000 TORNADOES DEVELOP ACROSS THE UNITED STATES ANNUALLY.  THESE 
TORNADOES KILL MORE THAN 60 AMERICANS AND INJURE ANOTHER 1500 IN A 
TYPICAL YEAR.  ON AVERAGE...26 TORNADOES TOUCH DOWN IN ARKANSAS EACH 
YEAR AND THESE TORNADOES RESULT IN FOUR FATALITIES ACROSS THE 
STATE.  IN 2006...25 TORNADOES STRUCK THE STATE.  THESE TORNADOES 
RESULTED IN 70 INJURIES.  THE STRONGEST TORNADO TO AFFECT THE STATE 
WAS RATED F3 ON THE FUJITA SCALE.  THREE TORNADOES REACHED THIS 
CATEGORY...ONE OF WHICH PRODUCED A 25 MILE LONG DAMAGE TRACK IN 
BENTON COUNTY ON MARCH 12TH.
  
TORNADOES ARE MOST LIKELY TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE STATE DURING THE 
SPRING MONTHS IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.  
HOWEVER...AS LONG AS THE NECESSARY INGREDIENTS ARE PRESENT... 
TORNADOES CAN DEVELOP DURING ANY MONTH OF THE YEAR AND AT ANY 
TIME OF THE DAY.  THIS HAS CLEARLY BEEN DEMONSTRATED AS FOUR 
OUT OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS HAVE SEEN MAJOR TORNADO OUTBREAKS 
IN THE FALL...DURING THE STATES SO-CALLED SECONDARY SEVERE WEATHER 
SEASON.  

TORNADOES ARE CLASSIFIED BY THE DAMAGE THEY PRODUCE...WHICH IS 
DETERMINED BY SURVEYING IMPACTED STRUCTURES WITHIN THEIR PATHS.  THE 
NWS IMPLEMENTED THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE ON FEBRUARY 1ST AND THIS 
WILL BE USED TO MORE ACCURRATELY DETERMINE WIND SPEEDS WITHIN THE 
TORNADO THAN WHAT WE USED IN THE PAST.  THE THREE CLASSIFICATION 
CATEGORIES ARE WEAK...STRONG... AND VIOLENT.  TORNADOES MAY MOVE 
FORWARD AT SPEEDS OF UP TO 70 MPH BUT SOME MAY REMAIN NEARLY 
STATIONARY.  REGARDLESS OF THEIR STRENGTH...APPEARANCE...OR FORWARD 
SPEED...ALL TORNADOES ARE DANGEROUS.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS YOU CAN DO TO INCREASE YOUR ODDS OF 
SURVIVING A TORNADO DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE WHEN SEVERE WEATHER 
THREATENS.  IF AT HOME...TAKE SHELTER IN A PREDETERMINED SAFE PLACE 
SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR STORM CELLAR.  GET UNDER SOMETHING HEAVY.  IF 
NO SUCH PLACE IS AVAILABLE ...THEN MOVE INTO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM 
ON THE LOWEST FLOOR SUCH AS A CLOSET OR BATHROOM.  PUT AS MANY WALLS 
BETWEEN YOU AND THE OUTSIDE AS POSSIBLE.  LEAVE MOBILE HOMES FOR A 
STURDIER STRUCTURE.

IF IN YOUR VEHICLE...GO TO A NEARBY STURDY BUILDING.  IF THERE IS NO 
BUILDING NEARBY AND YOU ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER FROM THE TORNADO 
THEN LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE FOR A LOW SPOT SUCH AS A DITCH OR RAVINE.  
LIE LOW AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR ARMS AND HANDS.  DO NOT STOP 
AT OVERPASSES AND ATTEMPT TO WAIT OUT THE TORNADO.

MOST IMPORTANTLY...STAY INFORMED OF DEVELOPING SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS 
AND KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT AND WHEN TO EXPECT IT.  A WEATHER RADIO WITH 
TONE ALERT FEATURE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THIS VITAL INFORMATION 24 
HOURS A DAY.  ONE WITH A BATTERY BACKUP IS SUGGESTED IN THE CASE OF 
A POWER OUTAGE.

HAVE A PREDETERMINED PLAN OF ACTION THAT EVERYONE IN YOUR HOME KNOWS 
AND PRACTICE THIS PLAN AS SEVERE WEATHER SEASON APPROACHES.  YOUR 
LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN TULSA OR AMERICAN RED CROSS 
CHAPTER CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH THE INFORMATION NECESSARY TO DEVELOP 
SUCH A PLAN.

$$