Tornado and severe-storm readiness in open farm country

Putnam County is in open farm country in northern Missouri. This area can get bad thunderstorms and tornadoes, mostly in spring and early summer. If you live out in the country, two things matter most: how warnings reach you, and where you go to stay safe when you are miles from town. A warning siren may not reach you out there, so do not count on it alone. Learn who runs your county’s emergency management office, whether sirens cover your area, and how local alerts go out. Also set up National Weather Service warnings, which come from the federal weather agency. Using more than one way to get alerts is safest. Before storm season, pick a safe inside room and plan a way to get alerts if the power goes out. Start with Missouri SEMA (the State Emergency Management Agency) and the National Weather Service, and check with your county emergency management office for local details.