Adams County Preparing for Spring Weather Season 

HASTINGS, Neb. — Adams County officials are preparing for the spring weather season with the first test of outdoor sirens this week.

This week is Nebraska and Iowa Severe Weather Awareness Week. The City of Hastings in conjunction with Adams County Emergency Management is participating in a statewide tornado drill at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 25. All Adams County Outdoor Warning Sirens will be tested during the drill on March 25. Most city facilities will participate in the drill. Those that do not, including the Hastings Public Library and the Hastings Museum, will conduct drills on alternative dates.

Adams County Emergency Manager Ron Pughes says this is a great time for everyone to make sure they're prepared with a shelter plan, setting aside food and water to last multiple days, and having ways to gather information in a power outage. He adds the consequences of not being prepared in the event of an emergency can be dire,

"You won't have those needed items to keep you safe and maybe even alive. You won't have a phone list if your phone dies. You won't have spare clothing if you run down to your safe shelter in the middle of the night; all those type of things will affect you post-storm, so the more you go into the storm prepared, the easier it is as an outcome."

The statewide tornado drill also marks the beginning of the season for monthly testing of warning sirens. Adams County Outdoor Warning Sirens are tested at noon on the first Saturday of the month, April through October.

Do not call 911 during tests.