Governor John Carney and Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long have proclaimed March 20 to March 24 as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Delaware. In recent years, Delaware has experienced flooding, tornadoes, and winter storms that put lives and property at risk while adversely impacting the health, safety, and economic well-being of families, businesses, and schools. Learning about the different types of hazards will increase preparedness and help reduce the amount of devastation caused by severe weather. This year, Severe Weather Awareness Week roughly coincides with the 30th anniversary of the “Storm of the Century” or the “Blizzard of 1993.” This monster late-winter storm directly affected 40 percent of the U.S. population from the Deep South to Canada during the period from Friday, March 12 to Sunday, March 14, 1993. It brought record cold temperatures, heavy snowfall, hurricane-force winds, damaging storm surge, and closed almost every major airport on the U.S. East Coast at some point. It resulted in $5.5 billion in damages, 318 fatalities, and the loss of electric power to more than 10 million households.
The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) is collaborating with the National Weather Service in Philadelphia/Mount Holly, NJ, the Center for Environmental Monitoring and Analysis (CEMA) at the University of Delaware, and Delaware Sea Grant to raise awareness. Flooding, coastal storm surge, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and lightning are just some of the weather threats that can occur in Delaware, often with little advance warning. The National Weather Service has created a special “Severe Weather Awareness Week” web page with resources and links to information on specific hazards that could impact residents, often without advance warning.
The link is: https://www.weather.gov/phi/DESevereAwarenessWeek.
Every day from March 20 to 24, there will be a different topic:
- On Monday, the topic will be flooding
- On Tuesday, the topic will be tornadoes and tornado safety
- On Wednesday, the topic will be severe thunderstorms and hail
- On Thursday, the topic will be lightning safety
- On Friday, the topic will be preparing for severe weather
The webpage also contains links to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Weather-Ready Nation website. Information on how to make a family plan and how to make a preparedness kit can also be found on the page with a link to PrepareDE.org. Follow along on social media as we cover a different weather hazard each day, providing historical context and tips for how to stay safe.
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