***UPDATE: Washington County will not be testing its warning sirens at 11 a.m. due to chances of storms this week.***

Tornadoes can happen anytime and anywhere, and Washington County Emergency Management encourages residents to hold a tornado drill coinciding with the statewide test happening at 11 a.m. today.

Wednesday’s focus of Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa is tornadoes, which are violently rotating columns of air that extend from a thunderstorm to the ground. Emergency Management Coordinator Marissa Reisen says the county will be testing its outdoor sirens at 11 a.m., and besides practicing going to a tornado shelter, she recommends discussing what your workplace, school, or family would do after a tornado strikes, “What do you do if you actually get hit because if that happens there’s going to be a lot of debris all over the place, you’re going to have potential for gas leaks, downed power lines. How do you move your group, yourself into a place that’s safe? How do you contact the people you need to get a hold of? What if your cell phone doesn’t work? This is the time to ask all those what if’s and try to think about them when you’re not actually in that situation.”

Washington County residents can sign up for Alert Iowa to receive severe weather notifications, and the KCII mobile apps send a notification whenever the Severe Weather Action Team is broadcasting during a severe thunderstorm or tornado warning affecting Washington County. Those interested in becoming a trained weather spotter can sign up for a free virtual class this spring from the National Weather Service Quad Cities Office. KCII is also participating in the statewide drill, airing a special Severe Weather Awareness Week interview with Reisen.