With the possibility of severe weather and flash flooding this week, the City of Garland offers some reminders for staying “weather aware.”
Pay attention to local weather forecasts and register for automated weather alerts by phone, email and/or text through the Garland Alert System. Those who are registered will receive automated severe weather alerts ONLY when their address is in the storm’s path based on the National Weather Service issued watches and warnings. Keep in mind that the City utilizes the Garland Alert System for other urgent/emergency situations such as missing/abducted persons, utility outages, chemical spills and more. The system also allows you to provide important information about your household for emergency responders.
For indoor warning, every home and business also should have a NOAA all-hazards radio. This radio is programmable to allow the user to set it up to alert for only the event types and locations they are concerned about. National Weather Service alerts are directly broadcast to these radios immediately without delay.
Outdoor warning sirens can be activated anytime there is an emergency where Emergency Management personnel need to quickly move people from outside to shelter indoors. Most often, severe weather is the cause of these activations, including tornadoes and severe thunderstorm warnings if winds are over 70 mph or if large hail (1.75 inches, golf ball size) is observed.
Outdoor warning sirens are ONLY activated in the portion of the city expected to be impacted by the emergency hazard. Outdoor warning sirens are designed to alert residents who are outdoors to an imminent threat so that they can seek shelter inside. When you hear a siren, seek shelter and listen to a radio, television or other device for more information. Remember, these sirens are not designed to be heard indoors.
The city of Garland also subscribes to automated severe weather alerts to be posted to our Twitter and Facebook page.
For more information about severe weather and emergency preparedness, visit the Emergency Management page on GarlandTX.gov.