RICHLAND COUNTY — All the severe weather warnings in the world mean little if residents don’t heed them.
Given the fact Richland County experienced three tornadoes between 2019 and 2024, severe weather awareness shouldn’t be that hard a point to make.
That’s why the Richland County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday proclaimed March 16-22 as “Severe Weather Awareness Week” during a meeting with Sarah Potes, the county’s EMA director.
Several incidents have caused destruction in Richland County over the past few years, including an F2 tornado which ripped through Plymouth Township in March 2024.
That twister was the third confirmed tornado in Richland County in the last five years, including April 2019 in Shelby and June 2022 in a wooded area of a southeastern portion of the county.
“We’re just asking everyone to be as prepared as possible for all types of weather events,” Potes said. “Please make sure you’re signed up for some type of weather or emergency alert, whether it be the county’s own RC Alerts or one of the local weather apps.
“It’s always a good idea to have more than one way to receive your emergency alerts, too, just in case one wouldn’t work for some reason. we always recommend everybody purchase a weather radio, also.”
Actions after hearing alerts make a difference, she said.
“Other than the normal (tornado siren) test of the month, if they’re hearing that go off or you receive the tornado warning on your phone, our advice would be to seek shelter immediately,” Potes said.
“Make sure you stay on top of the notifications from the National Weather Service or other media. That way you know when the storm has passed and it’s safe to come out of your shelter, your basement, wherever you’re at.
“But please take those notifications very seriously as weather can change very, very quickly,” Potes said.
Commissioner Darrell Banks recalled moving into his house in Bellville in 1973 about 10 days before storms struck.
“Our house was hit along with many, many others in Bellville. My mother-in-law lost her house … it was among eight houses totally destroyed. You hear a siren, you better take it seriously,” Banks said.
In 2024, commissioners spent $193,837 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to upgrade the 44 tornado sirens operated by the Richland County EMA. In 2024, Mansfield City Council approved spending $160,000 in ARPA finds to buy four such sirens, the first in the city’s history.
“When we discussed upgrading some of the maintenance on our tornado sirens, there was a lot of discussion about the fact that, ‘Well, that’s kind of old technology. Do we really need to invest that kind of money?'” Commissioner Cliff Mears asked Tuesday.
“But in the end, we decided that’s another layer of safety and it’s well worth the investment.”
Potes agreed.
“People can argue whether they think they’re still relevant or not, but I think they are,” she said. “As technology continues to grow, maybe down the road not so much, but as of right now, I do think they’re still relevant.”
Richland County tests its tornado sirens on the last Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m.
The statewide tornado siren test will be March 18 at 9:50 a.m., according to Potes.