13 March 2024
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Kansans no strangers to severe weather. Nonetheless, this time of year it’s always important to be prepared and know what to do in case of the worst.
On Tuesday, March 12, Topeka resident Teresa Songs was outside enjoying the nice weather with her grandkids. However, Wednesday night could be a different story with the potential of severe weather. This is something that Songs had a first-hand experience with just last week.
“I was headed to Oklahoma, and I was in Independence, Kansas, and when I looked down at my GPS it said, ‘You are in the pathway of a tornado warning,'” Songs said. “And then shortly thereafter my son called and said you need to go the other direction. When I did, the weather alert went off on my phone saying take cover immediately.”
With spring here and winter in the rearview mirror, now is the time to start preparing for weather like Songs experienced last week.
“It’s good for people to have a plan and a kit,” Jake Henry with Shawnee County Emergency Management said. “Make a plan with your family. Practice your plan. Build a kit so you have supplies necessary if you were to need to seek shelter and maybe be able to operate for an extended period of time.”
According to Henry, that kit should include items like a blanket, water, snacks, medication, a flashlight and clothes. If you’re on the road like Songs was just last week and don’t have a kit on hand, Henry says the best thing to do is stay informed.
“If you do have to travel, it’s something you really want to monitor ahead of time and stay plugged into whatever your method of notification is,” Henry said.
That’s something Songs said she’ll be extra cautious about in the future.
“I’d be a lot more careful about traveling after that incident,” Songs said. “I did know there was some weather It said rain and possible thunder, but I didn’t realize that there was possible severe weather on that trip last Friday night. So I would be a little bit more cautious about traveling if there were gonna be thunderstorms.”