Community Shelter
During a TORNADO WARNING, people that are close and can do so safely can find shelter at the:
Rehabilitation and Opportunity Center (ROC), located at 7746 CR. 140 (Entrance near Fire House.
When the National Weather Service has issued a TORNADO WARNING or you hear the sirens, the ROC will be opened. Deputies or a Liberty Township Fire Fighter will be present and will advise people of the current weather. They will also advise of when the weather passes.
Actions of the Liberty Township Fire Department during severe weather!
1. National Weather Service issues severe weather statements.
2. Fire Fighters receive a page for weather warnings and then reports to the fire house.
3. A Fire Officer will then give firefighters areas of responsibilties and then will respond in a fire truck to watch for the severe weather. Any sever weather spotted will be reported back to the fire house and then relayed to the Hancock County Sheriff's Office.
What is a tornado watch?
A tornado watch defines an area shaped like a parallelogram, where tornadoes and other kinds of severe weather are possible in the next several hours. It does not mean tornadoes are imminent -- just that you need to be alert, and to be prepared to go to safe shelter if tornadoes do happen or a warning is issued. This is the time to turn on local TV or radio, turn on and set the alarm switch on your weather radio, make sure you have ready access to safe shelter, and make your friends and family aware of the potential for tornadoes in the area. The Storm Prediction Center issues tornado and severe thunderstorm watches
What is a tornado warning?
A tornado warning means that a tornado has been spotted, or that Doppler radar indicates a thunderstorm circulation which can spawn a tornado. When a tornado warning is issued for your town or county, take immediate safety precautions. local NWS offices issue tornado warnings.
Long ago, I was told to open windows to equalize pressure. Now I have heard that's a bad thing to do. Which is right?
Opening the windows is absolutely useless, a waste of precious time, and can be very dangerous. Don't do it. You may be injured by flying glass trying to do it. And if the tornado hits your home, it will blast the windows open anyway.
I've seen a video of people running under a bridge to ride out a tornado. Is that safe?
Absolutely not! Stopping under a bridge to take shelter from a tornado is a very dangerous idea, for several reasons:
Deadly flying debris can still be blasted into the spaces between bridge and grade -- and impaled in any people hiding there.
Even when strongly gripping the girders (if they exist), people may be blown loose, out from under the bridge and into the open -- possibly well up into the tornado itself. Chances for survival are not good if that happens.
The bridge itself may fail, peeling apart and creating large flying objects, or even collapsing down onto people underneath. The structural integrity of many bridges in tornado winds is unknown -- even for those which may look sturdy.
Whether or not the tornado hits, parking on traffic lanes is illegal and dangerous to yourself and others. It creates a potentially deadly hazard for others, who may plow into your vehicle at full highway speeds in the rain, hail, and/or dust. Also, it can trap people in the storm's path against their will, or block emergency vehicles from saving lives.
What about community tornado shelters?
Community tornado shelters are excellent ideas for apartment complexes, schools, mobile home parks, factories, office complexes and other facilities where large groups of people live, work or study.