City will test sirens April 19

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Sirens will sound in Rosemount on April 19 as the city participates in statewide drills as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week. The activities are organized by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to motivate residents to prepare for storms and other weather risks.

Emergency sirens will sound at 1:45 and 6:55 p.m. on Thursday, April 19. Residents and businesses can use the alert at those times to develop and test plans for what they would do if a tornado or severe storm is threatening Rosemount.

The sirens are intended to alert people who are outside when dangerous weather approaches. Families will also want to consider how to be prepared if they are inside, out of range of the sirens.

Among the DPS recommendations for severe weather preparedness:

• Ensure everyone in the family has up-to-date contact information and knows what to do in case of emergency.

• Have everyone build a family emergency kit together.

• Check with places your family spends time, such as schools, workplaces, churches, markets or sports facilities to learn what their emergency plans are.

• Share the plans for these locations with your entire family and talk about what you would do if your family was not together during a disaster.

• Help prepare your neighborhood by asking, “What’s our plan?” Talk to your neighbors about their preparedness plans and make sure your plans are compatible. Find out who has special needs and might need help in an emergency.

More suggestions on keeping safe from severe weather are available on the state website at htweatherawareness.dps.mn.gov and from the Federal Emergency Management Agency at www.ready.gov.

Tags: news, rosemount, governement