ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / March 1, 2000

LAPLACE – Even though we really haven’t witnessed any bad weather lately, Severe Weather Awareness Week was held last week and national, state and local governments staged a severe weather drill to make sure all warning and communications equipment are operating correctly.

In Louisiana, late winter and early spring are prime conditions for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. So last Wednesday morning the state andparish officials staged a mock tornado drill.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration broadcast a mock tornado warning on the NOAA Weather Radio at 9:15 a.m.Kathy Gilmore, assistant director of Civil Defense for St. John Parish, said,”This is really a simulation to make sure we can communicate with schools, industry, fire and police. We just want to make sure that all communicationsequipment is working.”All schools in the parish have radios tuned to the NOAA. According to Gilmore, “There were no glitches except for one school, and that was fixed immediately. Everybody at all the schools were contacted. We also had a 100percent response from industry in the area.”Bertram Madere, director of Civil Defense, said in case of a real tornado the populace would have been told to go indoors and take cover.

All schools have a plan. One school in the area, John L. Ory Magnet, took partin the mock drill, and students were led into the inner hallways and told to sit down and cover up.

“We get about four to five severe weather warnings a year,” said Madere, “especially at this time of the year with thunderstorms and hail. This is alsothe time when the wind comes in from the southeast and blows the lake water over the banks.”The parish and the NOAA have a natural disaster drill at least once a year.

St. John Civil Defense also conducts two hazardous material drills a year andone nuclear disaster drill.

Madere said at this time of the year they are also watching river levels, especially when it rains.

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