Outdoor emergency sirens are not the only method of warning you should rely on for severe weather notification and safety.

Garry Berges, Geary County Emergency Management Director, said that sirens are not always the most reliable source.

“Storm sirens or outdoor sirens are not to notify you technically if you’re indoors, that’s why we suggest people get weather apps on their phone and have weather radios,” said Berges. “You need more than one way to be notified on severe weather.”

The National Weather Service has provided these severe weather safety tips:

• Develop a disaster plan including a disaster supplies kit.
• Identify a safe place to take shelter. Do this ahead of severe weather, waiting until a warning is too late!
• Know the county/area in which you live to understand if the storm is traveling your direction.
• Have a weather radio.
• Keep a map to follow storm movements as you hear it reported.

“When we say it’s going to be a chance of severe weather that day, [residents] need to know where they’re going to go in case of storms while you’re out shopping or running errands,” said Berges. “Know where your places of safety are; if it’s starting to storm and you see the line of storms coming in and you want to go out [on errands], wait until the storms go past.”

For local severe weather coverage tune to 1420 AM, 97.5 FM, or 103.5 FM for weather updates and alerts. For minute by minute coverage and updates follow Junction City Post on Facebook and always check jcpost.com.