Statewide Tornado Drill Set for Tuesday

A statewide tornado drill will take place at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday.

Schools, as well as local and state office buildings will recognize the drill as a way to show students and employees what to do in the event of a tornado.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe encourages all businesses and residents to participate in the drill. Emergency tones will be broadcast by the National Weather Service to indicate the drill is in progress, and tones will simulate those that are broadcast in the actual event of a tornado.

Here’s more information from the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office on how they will be participating the drill:

The Virginia Tornado Drill will utilize a test tornado warning, just as it did in 2013. All National Weather Offices will issue this test tornado warning under the standard tornado product. NOAA Weather radio will transmit the test warning as it would normally for a real tornado event. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) will also be activated as if the drill were an actual tornado warning. The text will clearly indicate that it is a test and not an actual tornado warning. Anyone receiving the tornado drill via NOAA Weather Radio, the EAS System or by commercial radio or television will be able to know that the activation is for tornado drill purposes.

Should severe weather actually threaten Virginia on March 11 the Tornado Drill will be postponed until Thursday, March 13 at 9:45 am.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management developed a website to provide information on who to protect themselves in the event of a tornado.