Last year, Iowa was second, behind only Louisiana, in the number of tornadoes in the state. Iowa had 84, Louisiana had 86 according to the National Weather Service. Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator Marissa Reisen is reminding people to take tornado watches and warnings seriously, “Again we’re seeing that potential shift in tornado alley, and we could see at least that many or more this year, you know. You just always want to take the warning seriously. And if you see a tornado, you hear a siren, you need to take shelter immediately. We don’t want anybody out on their front porch watching, that’s not the best place to be. And these storms can change direction at any time. Yes, generally speaking, they head in a northeasterly direction, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t go other directions.”

Reisen says if a warning is issued, seek shelter in the lowest level of a home and away from windows. She adds that if you have kids, putting a bike helmet on or putting baby in a car seat can provide added protection from debris. Reisen encourages families to talk through what they would do if there were a tornado in the area, have a plan in place.

Any time there is a severe thunderstorm warning or tornado warning issued for Washington County, KCII will stop normal programming and bring you live up to the minute coverage of the storm. And if the power goes out, KCII will stay on the air with our emergency backup generators.