Ohio has designated the week of March 20-26 as Severe Weather Awareness Week. Many Ottawa County schools, health care facilities and other public and private organizations will be conducting training and drills in conjunction with this program.

“We urge you to review your Tornado Warning Procedures and discuss them with your families or business personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call our office at 419-734-6900,” said Director Fred Petersen of the Ottawa County Emergency Management Agency.

A key activity during the week will be a statewide test of weather warning dissemination and preparedness procedures. This test will be conducted at 9:50 a.m. on Wednesday, March 23. The Ottawa County siren system will be activated for three minutes, and the Sheriff’s Dispatch will broadcast a test message to police, fire and EMS departments. In addition, the National Weather Service will activate weather alert radios. Actual weather warnings are disseminated in the same manner.

The county will also test their wireless emergency notification system which will alert you via cell phones in the event of an emergency. To sign up for this service, visit the Ottawa County Emergency Management Agency website at, https://www.co.ottawa.oh.us/230/Emergency-Management-Agency.

Severe weather can threaten Ottawa County in many forms. Timely notification and warning play a key role in the effort to save lives and protect property.