Weather Volatility Challenges Your Preparedness

April 14, 2022

Spring is definitely here. How do we know? One day it’s warm. The next day, you’re reaching for your winter jacket.

We love it when there’s sunshine and warmth. We hate it when it’s cold and gloomy. While the shifts in weather can be confusing, it’s important to pay close attention. Some of these quick, drastic shifts can be severe and should trigger your emergency preparedness plans.

We only have to look to our colleagues in other states to see weather’s volatility. Last month, 27 tornados were confirmed in Texas in one afternoon and evening, some with speeds up to 150 miles per hour. In Alabama, numerous tornado warnings were issued throughout much of the state. Here in Pennsylvania, schools sheltered in place in Jefferson County as tornado sirens were activated (per Corvena).

This month, it’s more and more imperative that health care facilities and individuals are prepared for severe weather. Planning, preparing, exercising, and practicing for events always proves to be beneficial, and it can save lives. Now is the time for emergency managers to review and update their plans.

Here’s what you need to be thinking about as we head into severe weather season.

Before the storm

Planning for severe weather begins before any weather patterns appear on your radar.

As a starting point, hospital emergency managers should ensure they have basic weather knowledge. Understanding the weather gives you the situational awareness you need to be ready. Ensure you are signed up for severe weather alerts by phone, text, or email. One important tool from the Storm Predictive Center helps monitor the severe weather outlook in your region.

Understanding these tools helps differentiate the weather patterns that pose a marginal threat (isolated thunderstorms) and others that are higher risk (longer, widespread, and particularly intense storms).

Your supply List

Before the storm, check your supplies. You don’t want to discover you’re missing these items when severe weather hits:

• Flashlights are handy. Headlamps allow your hands to be free
• Dimmable, battery-powered, high lumen lanterns
• Make sure you’re storing your batteries properly, and that you have battery packs and battery banks
• Portable LED lights
• Bells or whistles for patients and staff members
• Two-way radios
• Duct tape
• Work gloves
• Crow bars
• Masks and goggles for dust or debris
• Hard copies and paper copies of phone numbers and contacts

These items may sit in storage, but you’ll need them when you’re in the throes of an emergency. A tornado or hailstorm is not the time to run to the store or to contact a vendor for a missing item in your inventory.

During the storm

When severe weather arises, it’s time to put your plan into action. A coordinated response allows you to quickly move patients to safer areas like hallways; secure and store potential projectiles (IV poles, carts, oxygen tanks, clip boards); and close blinds, curtains, and doors. Hospital campuses cover thousands of square feet, so you need time to check your grounds for patients, staff, and others who may need help.

Most of all, you’ll need simple messaging to reassure everyone at your facility. This four-step action plan provides a good starting point.

• Get In:  Put as many walls between you and the outside as possible. Stay away from doors and windows
• Get Down:  Get to the lowest floor possible. Basements are best during tornadoes and very high wind situations
• Cover Up:  Flying debris poses a significant concern. Cover up (with pillows, blankets, etc.) to protect your head and body
• Remain Calm:  During chaotic times, staying calm helps everyone work together to execute the game plan

Extreme weather doesn’t stop for anyone, and it only takes one storm to devastate a community. That’s why it’s essential that you take the time to identify your plans and procedures. We don’t know when our next big storm will hit, but we have to prepare like it’s already on the weather radar.

For questions about getting ready for severe weather, contact HAP’s Emergency Management team for more information.

Written by HAP’s Emergency Managers Matt Linse and CJ Sabo, MPH, EMT-B.