Champaign Co. EMA offering severe weather preparedness tips
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The Champaign County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA) is urging residents to brush up on their safety knowledge during Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Illinois.
The week, lasting from March 3-7, encourages state residents to stay prepared for occurrences of severe weather. After experiencing 142 tornadoes in 2024, Illinois currently ranks third in the country for tornadoes per square mile behind Mississippi and Alabama.
AgTech Week underway in Champaign-Urbana
Additionally, almost 20% of all tornadoes across the state happened at night, including the EF-3 tornado that touched down near Robinson on March 31, 2024. The CCEMA is relaying information from the National Weather Service (NWS) about taking the necessary precautions to stay safe during these weather incidents.
The NWS is urging residents to not rely only on outdoor storm sirens for information because they are not designed to be heard indoors. Some other sources people should use include:
Weather alert radios
Local radio and TV broadcasts
NWS websites
Smartphone apps including FEMA and Red Cross (make sure emergency alerts are enabled)
Wireless emergency alerts on smartphones
On top of this, making an emergency plan for your home, workplace, school and travel can be essential to safety as well. The NWS encourages residents to identify safe shelter locations for tornadoes and other severe weather instances.
People are urged to choose two meeting places in case they get separated from family or coworkers. Additionally, while traveling, people should know the names of the counties and cities they visit.
Illinois residents are encouraged to learn how to use a fire extinguisher, administer CPR and shut off electricity, gas and water in their homes. Inspecting your home for hazards like weakened trees, cracked windows and worn roofing is important as well. A good way to minimize wind damage is to reinforce roofs, upper floors and garages when constructing and renovating.
Parkland College welding lab evacuated due to smoke
Having an emergency supply kit can be essential as well if severe weather causes power outages, especially if they last for several days. The NWS said kits should include the following items:
Bottled water
Non-perishable food
Flashlights and extra batteries
Extra clothing and blankets
A spare set of keys and cash
Medications and a first aid kit
Personal hygiene items
Pet supplies
A weather alert radio or portable AM/FM radio
The CCEMA has updated its siren activation protocol for Champaign, Urbana, Savoy and the University of Illinois. Going forward, sirens will activate for severe thunderstorms if the warning includes the term 'destructive.' This designation was used for the June 29, 2023, storms.
A destructive damage threat is defined as having hail at least 2.75 inches in diameter (baseball-sized) and winds of 80 mph or higher. 'Warnings with this tag will automatically trigger a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) on smartphones in the affected area,' CCEMA said in their news release.
Other county municipalities that have updated their siren protocols include Fisher, Tolono, Sidney and Pesotum.
To put all this information in one place, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the NWS have developed a Severe Weather Preparedness Guide covering tornadoes, severe storms, lightning and flooding. This guide is available at ready.illinois.gov.
For more severe weather safety information, visit the following:
NWS Lincoln
Ready Illinois Facebook
Ready Illinois X (formerly Twitter)
Champaign County EMA Facebook
Champaign County EMA X (formerly Twitter)
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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