NOBLESVILLE — Indiana’s statewide tornado drill Tuesday morning gave schools and emergency agencies a chance to practice their response, and the timing couldn’t be better, with severe storms possible Tuesday night into Wednesday.
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At Hamilton County Emergency Management, the drill started with a push of a button, which sounded outdoor warning sirens across the county.
At the time of the statewide drill, many schools participated in a tornado drill, like Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate Junior High.
"Just like for any skill you develop, you have to make sure that you practice," said Mike Johnson, Hamilton Southeastern Schools Director of School Safety. "When you're dealing with large numbers of people, especially kids, we need to be comfortable in a crisis, so that we aren't surprised by it."
While students lined the hallways, across the county at Emergency Management, the drill was just getting started.
"Any time there's a severe weather threat or any major emergency going on in Hamilton County, we'll have staffing come down into this room," explained Ryan Tennessen, Director of Hamilton County Emergency Management.
Everyone present during the drill filled a variety of roles, like monitoring the weather and listening to amateur radios.
A command table in the center of the room was a spot for team decisions.
"You got a confirmed touchdown, what do we transition to?" Chad Knecht, Executive Director of Hamilton County Emergency Operations, challenged his team in this mock scenario.
Information about severe weather doesn't originate in the Emergency Management building. Storm spotters around the county communicate with the team via amateur radio.
"A lot of them are our eyes and ears in the field," Tennessen said. "We're down here in the basement. We don't have windows, so we rely on the information they're feeding back."
Many of these spotters also participated in Tuesday's drill. They didn't have storm reports to share; instead, confirmation of working outdoor sirens in various locations.
All sirens sounded as they should during this drill. This confirmation comes at a great time, as there is a severe weather threat Tuesday into Wednesday morning.
Even though it was all just a drill on Tuesday morning, if you hear warning sirens starting Tuesday evening, it is time to take it seriously.
"Or if you receive an alert," Jonathan Whitham, Executive Director of Indiana Department of Homeland Security, instructed, "Take it seriously. Find out what it's for, and then take action."
Stay with WRTV for forecast updates with this latest potential for severe weather.
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