It is Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Kentucky. During this week, Kentucky Emergency Management and the National Weather Service are sharing tips on how to prepare for severe weather.
During a recent press conference, Governor Andy Beshear said the commonwealth is no stranger to severe and dangerous weather.
“Just the last six years alone, we have had 15 federally declared weather disasters and several on top of it that should have been declared. For whatever reason, the people in Washington wouldn't do it. From the deadly tornadoes in 2021, the deadly floods in 2022, to flooding last year and the most recent winter storm, we have seen the unimaginable.”
Governor Beshear is using the occasion to ask Kentuckians, regardless of their political affiliation, to speak out against federal funding cuts to the National Weather Service. He spoke about the cuts during a recent press conference.
“These are the folks who give us three, four, five days sometimes a week ahead of time to prepare. Think about everything we have been through, and do we want to lessen our notice? Do we want to lessen the chance that we know about it ahead of time? If we do, that puts all of our families at risk.”
As part of the week, the annual Kentucky Statewide Tornado Drill will take place on Wednesday, March 4th at around 10 AM EST.
State officials say the drill is an opportunity for Kentuckians to practice their tornado safety plan, whether they are at home, school, or work.
Local Office NOAA Weather Radio Info
Louisville (for central Kentucky): https://www.weather.gov/lmk/weather_radio-lmk
Paducah (for western Kentucky): https://www.weather.gov/pah/NOAAWeatherRadio
Jackson (for eastern Kentucky): https://www.weather.gov/jkl/weatherradio
Wilmington, OH (Florence/Cincinnati area): https://www.weather.gov/iln/nwr
Charleston, WV (Ashland area): https://www.weather.gov/rlx/nwr
