Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Severe Weather Awareness Week is underway and Livingston County residents and businesses are encouraged to be prepared if disaster strikes.

A voluntary statewide tornado drill is scheduled for 1pm this Wednesday. The drill is designed to people a chance to make a plan and put it to the test to be prepared.

Businesses, organizations, families, and individuals are encouraged to engage in the statewide preparedness activity but are not required to do so. During the drill, residents will observe or hear alerts on TV and radio stations, as well as outdoor sirens in local communities.

Livingston County is among those participating. Emergency Management Coordinator Therese Cremonte says the tornado sirens are an outdoor warning system to tell people to take shelter inside. She emphasized that Wednesday is only a drill and if for some reason the weather changes and there’s an actual chance of a tornado, the drill won’t proceed. It’s the first test of the year and they ask that people and businesses practice the tornado drill if they have the opportunity.

Locally starting in April and ending in October, the warning sirens will sound on the first Saturday of every month at noon.

Cremonte says it is very important to distinguish between a “watch” and a “warning”. A watch means to be on alert while a warning means a tornado has been spotted on the ground.

Cremonte noted that tornadoes are very unpredictable depending on the size and speed and have a tendency to head down one path but then change direction. If a warning has been issued, she says people should not hesitate to take shelter and definitely not go look outside to see what’s happening.

Cremonte says it is very important to distinguish between a “watch” and a “warning”. A watch means to be on alert while a warning means a tornado has been spotted on the ground.

Cremonte noted that tornadoes are very unpredictable depending on the size and speed and have a tendency to head down one path but then change direction. If a warning has been issued, she says people should not hesitate to take shelter and definitely not go look outside to see what’s happening.

The average lead time for tornadoes to develop is said to be 10 to 15 minutes, which means residents need to be ready to react quickly when a warning is issued. The National Weather Service reports the state of Michigan averages 15 tornadoes each year.
From 2000 to 2020, seven tornados have touched down in Livingston County.

The Dexter tornado hit on March 15th, 2012 (damage pictured). Cremonte says that followed a path from Gregory, eastward along the M-36 corridor and the Pinckney area was preparing for a hit but the tornado jumped and ended up hitting Dexter.

That was a F3 tornado, which Cremonte says was probably the most robust in recent history. She says luckily there were no fatalities because people heeded the warning and took shelter - stressing that warning systems save lives.

The Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division is also calling on residents to act by participating in the tornado drill. Captain Kevin Sweeney said the anniversary of the deadly EF3 tornado that devastated the city of Gaylord last year is approaching and it serves as an important reminder to take steps now to prepare and create a plan for protection.

Severe Weather Awareness Week runs through Saturday.