RAVE an important resource during severe weather

For the past few weeks, severe weather has been in the news, as tornadoes hit the south and more recently, the Midwest, including Iowa Tuesday this week. Tornadoes in our southern states have resulted in so many deaths already, not to mention the property destruction. It seems early—and it is—even though Nebraska observed Severe Weather Week just last week.
            Severe Weather Week in late March is a time to shake us out of our winter personas and remind all of us to be prepared for what could be a stormy spring.
            One of the important aspects of being prepared are those personal contacts of severe weather heading our way provided by the RAVE alert system to which Chase County residents have access.
            It takes just a few minutes to sign up your phones, cell or landline, to receive the alert once the National Weather Service issues a severe weather warning for your area. It’s not only for tornado warnings—other severe weather including snowstorm threats will yield a call. This long season of snow resulted in several of those alerts this year. What’s neat about RAVE is its capacity to be directed to a particular section of town or the county toward which the severe weather is headed.
    I have been surprised when visiting with some friends and others here who weren’t aware of RAVE. It’s easy to sign up on the county’s website: chasecounty.nebraska.gov. Go to the list of offices and click on either Emergency Manager or the Sheriff’s Office. Both have the RAVE sign-up form. Take time to sign up now—it’s one easy way to be prepared.