Severe weather can occur at any time of year and in several forms. Common weather hazards related to our area include:
Keep your family prepared for these hazards.
Build an emergency kit with important items to keep you safe, healthy, and comfortable. Info on how to build a kit can be found here:
https://www.ready.gov/kit
If someone in your family has medical needs that require electricity such as oxygen concentrators and suction units, be sure to have a plan in the event of an outage that may last several days. Spare oxygen cylinders, generators, may be needed.
Consider keeping a supply of water stored for you, your family, and your animals. Non-perishable foods that do not require microwaving or refrigerating are a good idea.
Report debris such as trees or parts of structures blocking roadways to Newberry County Communications. If the tree or debris is intertwined with power lines or other utilities DO NOT attempt to remove the debris until properly trained personnel have made the area safe.
Refer to more information on how to be prepared from the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) here:
https://www.scemd.org/prepare/types-of-disasters/
https://www.scemd.org/prepare/your-emergency-plan/
- Snow, sleet, and ice on roadways
- Flash-flooding
- Lightning
- High winds
- Hail
- Tornados
- Damage to infrastructure including power, internet, and water supply
Keep your family prepared for these hazards.
Build an emergency kit with important items to keep you safe, healthy, and comfortable. Info on how to build a kit can be found here:
https://www.ready.gov/kit
If someone in your family has medical needs that require electricity such as oxygen concentrators and suction units, be sure to have a plan in the event of an outage that may last several days. Spare oxygen cylinders, generators, may be needed.
Consider keeping a supply of water stored for you, your family, and your animals. Non-perishable foods that do not require microwaving or refrigerating are a good idea.
Report debris such as trees or parts of structures blocking roadways to Newberry County Communications. If the tree or debris is intertwined with power lines or other utilities DO NOT attempt to remove the debris until properly trained personnel have made the area safe.
Refer to more information on how to be prepared from the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) here:
https://www.scemd.org/prepare/types-of-disasters/
https://www.scemd.org/prepare/your-emergency-plan/
HOW TO KNOW WHEN HAZARDS ARE POSSIBLE
The National Weather Service uses a three-tiered system to warn the public of severe weather hazards. the NWS model is widely used across the United States.
The three types are:
Refer to the NWS link below for more information on each.
https://www.weather.gov/sjt/WatchWarningAdvisoryExplained
The three types are:
- ADVISORY
- WATCH
- WARNING
Refer to the NWS link below for more information on each.
https://www.weather.gov/sjt/WatchWarningAdvisoryExplained
WHITMIRE AREA SPECIFIC HAZARD NOTIFICATION
Advisories, watches, and warning notifications are sent through several ways locally, including:
IF A TORNADO WARNING is issued for Newberry County, the 'fire whistle' siren located at town hall is activated and will sound the TAKE COVER tone. The video below displays how the siren will sound. Notice how the TAKE COVER alarm is a constant tone which is different from the changing 'high-low-high-low' tone used to notify first responders of a Fire-Rescue specific incident.This notification is used with every siren in Newberry County, regardless of the location within the County.
- Local television channels
- Weather apps such as MyRadar
- CodeRED notifications from NWS and Newberry County Emergency Management
- Alarm or tone from a weather radio
- Notification on public safety radios to first responders
IF A TORNADO WARNING is issued for Newberry County, the 'fire whistle' siren located at town hall is activated and will sound the TAKE COVER tone. The video below displays how the siren will sound. Notice how the TAKE COVER alarm is a constant tone which is different from the changing 'high-low-high-low' tone used to notify first responders of a Fire-Rescue specific incident.This notification is used with every siren in Newberry County, regardless of the location within the County.
Example of 'TAKE COVER' (TORNADO WARNING) siren in Whitmire
Example of siren activation for a Fire-Rescue related incident
Consider signing up for Code RED notifications in Newberry County
Code RED is a program that will send notifications to an email, or a phone (text or phone call) to alert residents of important information. Common notifications include: severe weather alerts, road closures, shelter-in-place and all-clear during disasters, and other information relating to public safety. Agencies reporting on Code RED for the Whitmire area include:
Sign-up for Code RED here:
https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BFFA43040FE3
- Newberry County Emergency Management
- Newberry County Sheriff's Office
- Whitmire Police Department
Sign-up for Code RED here:
https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BFFA43040FE3