The Adair & Guthrie County Emergency Management Agencies, Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department (HSEMD), and the National Weather Service have joined together to promote today, Nov. 5th, as Winter Weather Awareness Day in Iowa.

Each year, winter returns to Iowa and produces winter storms, blizzards, ice storms and periods of extremely cold temperatures as well as dangerous wind chills.
A big part of being prepared for winter weather is being aware of potential hazards. One preparedness step for Iowans to take now is to sign up for emergency alerts through the Adair & Guthrie County Emergency Notification System. By signing up for alerts, residents can receive notifications about winter weather and other hazards and emergency conditions.

Robert Kempf, Adair & Guthrie County EMA Coordinator, says “This is a great tool to help our residents stay aware of hazards. Our system allows people to sign up to receive alerts in a variety of ways, including by text, cell phone or land-line calls or email. So no matter where you are, you will know if hazards might impact you or your family.” To sign up, visit the EMA Page website at http://www.guthriecounty.org/emergmgmt/notificationsystem.html. You can also click the signup button on the Adair & Guthrie County EMAs Facebook page.

Winter weather information from the National Weather Service Des Moines office can be found on the http://www.weather.gov/dmx/ or at www.weather.gov.

The Ready Iowa website, has information to help Iowans plan for winter hazards, whether at home, at work or on the road. Visit the website, http://www.beready.iowa.gov/, for downloadable brochures, emergency plans and checklists.