Tri-State Ready for Storms
By: Jaimie Weiss
Updated: January 9, 2008
The storms appeared a lot worse coming in than they turned out to be.
And people were prepared for anything.
But it hasnt always been that way.
Planes were ready to take off from Evansville Regional Airport when the rain moved in.
But instead of sitting on plane -
"We asked all our customers to go to the basement," says Nelson Bailes with the airport.
It was just a precaution when a tornado warning was issued.
"You never know what can happen."
With people sitting in basements and wall to wall coverage on every TV station you would think it was something very serious happening.
"I think people are paying a lot more attention," says EMA Director Sherman Greer.
When it was only some lights out and flooded roads.
"We dodged a bullet today."
After 18 years with the EMA, Greer says only in the past few have people started taking the weather seriously.
"Theres a lot of apathy when storms are coming in." But Tri-Staters have learned these clouds can quickly turn into something deadly even outside of the severe weather season.
"Our tornadoes have been happening November, January, December."
And when that happens everyone is much happier in a basement than anywhere else.
Greer attributes a lot of the preparedness to weather radios.
He says people know when that goes off to take cover.
Even if it turns out to be what it was Tuesday night, its always better to be safe than sorry.
