City official weighs in on severe weather precautions

Kennett tornado sirens are a last ditch effort to notify residents of a spotted tornado in the city. Citizens should be prepared and take precautions prior to hearing the city sirens.

Fire Chief John Mallott suggests that citizens follow the same steps as the emergency management team. These steps are monitoring The Weather Channel, KFVS 12, and KAIT 8 for updates on the severe weather. Also Mallott encourages citizens to use internet Web sites, like accuweather.com or Memphis weather, to watch real-time radars and see the direction of storm activities. Using these outlets, citizens will be more prepared and knowing during the event of a tornado or severe weather, according to Mallott.

The Fire Chief also recommended that all citizens buy a weather radio for home or office use. He noted that several local retailers carry a form of the radio.

When a tornado warning is given for Dunklin County, people should not wait for local sirens before seeking shelter, but make a rational decision using weather watching tools, according to Mallott.

"People need to keep in mind that our county is 50 miles long and tornado warnings are given by the county," Mallott said. "This is when the radar sites are useful."

He added that the sirens are used to inform individuals inside of or near a shelter that activity has been spotted in the city of Kennett.

A tornado watch is issued when conditions are favorable for a tornado to develop, according to Mallott.

"When under a watch, people need to be watching their weather source for warnings to be issued," Mallott said.

Citizens interested in becoming better informed about storm activities can sign up for the free Skywarn Spotter classes offered in the area.

For further information contact (573) 888-5337. Emergency management is always available to inform citizens, Mallott noted.