Safety

Local Severe Weather Warning System

Knowing how to protect you and your family during severe weather is extremely important. Every household should have an Emergency Plan for any possible emergency such as fire, earthquakes, or severe weather.

Severe thunderstorms can cause as much damage as a tornado and should be treated with equal seriousness. Tornadoes often form inside severe thunderstorms. When a severe thunderstorm approaches, you should take the same precautions as in the event of a tornado.

Prepare

Prepare an emergency kit and keep it in a well-known place in your home before an emergency happens. This kit should contain at least: batteries, flashlights, battery operated radio, first aid kit, and bottled water.

Civil Defense Sirens

In the Cities of Munford and Atoka, Civil Defense Sirens are activated in the event of severe weather. When these sirens are sounded, no time should be wasted in activating your family emergency plan and taking cover. Do not call to investigate the siren warning!! Conditions that warrant the sounding of the siren include: actual sighting of a tornado in line of the city, severe thunderstorm warnings by the National Weather Service where tornadic activity or very high winds are present. The sirens can also be activated when, in the opinion of the Munford or Atoka Fire Department, enough danger is present to warn the public to take cover.

Tornado Warning

The tornado sirens are activated when Tipton County is under a Tornado Warning. This does not mean a tornado has been sighted. It does mean that conditions are favorable for severe weather. The Emergency Management Agency requires the sirens activated during the entire time the warning is in effect. The weather is monitored closely as are the latest bulletins from the National Weather Service. Do not take the activation of the sirens lightly. Please take cover and check television and radio stations for current updates.

Protection

Civil Defense sirens are intended to be heard by anyone who is outside so they can seek shelter. Do not depend solely on tornado sirens for your protection; new building codes make houses more sound-proof, and the direction of the blowing wind can affect your ability to hear the sirens.