A tornado swept Dorothy to Oz. In Eden Prairie, safety means planning, drills, and knowing where to shelter.
As Minnesota heads into peak storm season, Fire Chief Scott Gerber wants residents to take this week – Severe Weather Awareness Week – as a cue to review their emergency plans before the skies darken and sirens blare.
“Weather is one of our greatest risks that has the ability to impact our cities,” said Gerber, whose department oversees Eden Prairie’s emergency management program. “This is a good time to pause and think about how it can impact us – both professionally and at home.”
Running April 7-11, the statewide awareness campaign is coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management division in partnership with the National Weather Service. Each day focuses on a different hazard: alerts and warnings, severe storms, floods, tornadoes, and extreme heat.
The most visible event comes Thursday, April 10, when tornado sirens will sound across Minnesota at 1:45 p.m. and again at 6:45 p.m. as part of a statewide drill.
Eden Prairie’s outdoor warning sirens – placed strategically across the city – will activate as part of that test. But Gerber reminded residents the sirens are designed to alert people who are outdoors.
“Sometimes people will call and say, ‘Well, I didn’t hear it in my house,’” he said. “Well, you may not hear it in your house because they are meant to warn outdoors – not indoors.”
For indoor alerts, Gerber recommends using weather apps, mobile phone notifications or NOAA Weather Radios – devices programmed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to broadcast official warnings.
He also encourages residents to develop a family plan, identify a shelter location, and check their emergency supplies. “Have we talked about it as a family?” he said. “Where’s a good shelter spot to be able to go? We’re fortunate here in the Midwest that most of our homes have basements.”
The city uses this week to reinforce preparedness among staff, especially those who work outside. “What kind of watches and warnings do we think about?” Gerber said. “Where are the shelters they could go to?”
Over the course of his career, including in Eden Prairie, Excelsior and Carver County, Gerber has responded to numerous high-wind and flooding events. He has also been deployed to hurricane-stricken regions, experiences he says have informed and strengthened the city’s emergency preparedness.
“There’s many things that are tornado-like,” he said. “How do we clear debris? Where do we put it? How do we make sure residents are informed? How do we manage volunteers and donations?”
On recent federal budget cuts potentially affecting the National Weather Service and FEMA, Gerber said, “May there be impacts? Could be. I don’t know that we know for sure yet.”
But if tools or funding change, he added, “We’ll figure it out and adapt.”
In the end, Gerber said preparedness is everyone’s responsibility.
“Emergency management is about being able to help deal with, prepare for, respond to, and recover from incidents that might happen,” he said. “From individuals to families to businesses to cities to the state – we all play a role.”
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