LANSING, Mich. -- A voluntary statewide tornado drill takes place at 1 o'clock this afternoon in many Michigan communities.
It is part of Severe Weather Awareness Week in Michigan. Lauren Thompson-Phillips is the Public Information Officer for the Michigan State Police Emergency Management Division. She told WOOD Radio that last year's damages from severe storms underscores the need for such drills.
"It's very important for everyone here in Michigan to be prepared and have a plan for a tornado. It's very easy to think, 'Oh, it will never happen to me. I'll never be in a tornado's path. But it does happen," Thompson-Phillips said.
She noted that seven tornadoes touched down in a single day in Michigan last August. They caused millions of dollars in damage and claimed two lives.
One of the tornadoes tore through the Rockford/Belmont/Comstock Park area north of Grand Rapids.
"And we've already had two this year. There were two that touched down in February," Thompson-Phillips said. "So, I think even that goes to show that it can happen anytime and anywhere in Michigan, especially during Severe Weather season."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has reopened a Disaster Recovery Center this week in Ionia County. It is providing residents impacted by last August's storms with assistance in obtaining recovery funds for damages incurred. The recovery center as at the Boston Township Hall in Saranac.
Click on the highlighted website link to read a comprehensive news release from the State of Michigan about the tornado drill.
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