Quantico tested its indoor and outdoor mass notification systems this week, in conjunction with Virginia’s statewide tornado drill, which urged individuals, schools and businesses to practice their tornado safety plans.

Tornadoes can form at any time of year, but they are most common in the spring, when collisions of warm and cold air masses are most frequent. These destructive funnel clouds appear to be on the rise in Virginia, where, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an average of 24 twisters per year occurred in the first decade of the millennium, as opposed to an average of 14 per year from 1981 to 2010.

Carol Shelton, Quantico’s emergency planner, said the first step toward tornado preparedness is not to be caught unaware, and she recommended the use of a NOAA weather radio, which broadcasts continuous local weather information, including alerts in the event of potentially dangerous weather.

“The main thing is, you’ve got to know and be aware,” Shelton said. She added that people should also understand the difference between a tornado watch, signifying the possibility of a twister developing, and a tornado warning, which advises listeners that a tornado has been sighted locally. “That means, take cover immediately,” she said. “That’s when our announcement system would be used.”

If a tornado warning is announced during the workday, she said, employees should follow whatever directions are given in the announcement. A general rule, though, is to stay away from windows and go to a central location as low as possible in a sturdy building. “A storm cellar or basement is the best,” she said. “Otherwise, go to an interior closet or hallway.”

In a high-rise, if there isn’t enough time to get to the lowest level, seek the center of the building, away from windows and exterior walls, she said.

Anyone in a vehicle, trailer or mobile home, including temporary structures aboard Quantico, however, should get out immediately and seek shelter in a building, as a tornado can lift and hurl a vehicle or trailer long distances.

“It just takes up whatever is in its way,” Shelton said. If no building is nearby, she recommended lying in a ditch or other low-lying area and covering the head, and she emphasized that taking cover under a bridge or overpass is not advised.

Shelton said it’s important to plan in advance where to go in the event of a tornado warning.

She said this month’s test of the base notification systems was intentionally conducted on Virginia’s Tornado Preparedness Day, March 12. “We try to both get awareness out and test the system.”

— Writer: mdicicco@quanticosentryonline.com