TOLEDO, Ohio — With severe weather in the forecast for northwest Ohio on Wednesday, emergency officials want to remind residents to get prepared ahead of the storm.
"One of the things we historically hear whenever we have severe weather events is, you know, 'these things came out of nowhere and we didn't have any warning.' And the reality is today we have warning," Wood County EMA Director Jeff Klein said.
Even if your household has a severe weather plan in place, it's worth re-thinking that plan to see if anything has to change because of coronavirus restrictions.
"The challenges that COVID has presented to us, is you know, that's another thing we're asking people to do. Now is really the time to say, you know, 'I've always gone to this building, is that building even going to be open?' or, 'If that building is going to be open are they going to have a requirement that I have a mask?'" Klein said.
Experts say that paying attention and reacting if weather watches are issued is the best way to stay safe. Waiting until a warning is issued to make your way to a safe building or drive 20 minutes back home might not be the best idea.
"If weather watches pop up, things like that, that's really the time to move to those places and that's one of the things people don't think about," Klein said.
Since strong winds are expected Wednesday, there's a good chance you may not hear emergency sirens if they go off. Our First Alert Weather app will send a message directly to your phone if watches or warnings are issued in our area.
Download the app on your smartphone here.