With remnants of Hurricane Beryl headed toward Louisville, here's how to prepare for severe weather

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Severe weather is possible in the Louisville area Tuesday as the remnants of Hurricane Beryl make their way up through the U.S. And Louisville emergency officials said any preparation ahead of storms can only better help your family stay safe.

Beryl won't be anywhere near the strength it was at landfall by the time it gets to the Louisville area. But by Tuesday afternoon showers and storms from the remnants of Beryl roll over the area. Tropical systems often bring the chance of tornadoes after landfall, and that could be the case late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.

It won't be an all-day rain, but the stronger storms will come with heavy rainfall at times and will also bring the chance for damaging wind gusts within them.

It's been an active weather season in Kentucky, so Louisville Metro Emergency Management Services said people need to be ready.

"We've had several tornadoes just over the last six months in the area," Jody Meiman, executive director of Metro EMS, said Monday. "... They're happening more frequently, it seems like, and people need to prepare now for what to do."

Have A Plan

The EF1 tornado briefly touched down July 4 in west Louisville spun up so quickly the National Weather Service did not put out a tornado warning, which meant the city’s tornado siren never went off. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

Meiman said the city’s sirens are meant for people who are outside to take cover and shouldn’t be what people rely on inside.

"Go back and rely on your senses if you're outside and see lightning," he said. "You hear thunder? Know that there's a storm that's in the area and that you should probably go in and not necessarily take cover but at least seek some type of type of shelter where you're not standing out in the middle of it cutting your grass or working in the yard or doing something like that."

Once tornado warnings have been issued for your area, meteorologist Hannah Strong said people need "to go to the lowest level of whatever structure you're in and think about putting as many walls between you and the storm outside as you can."

Strong said for those who are not home but are instead at a business or shopping center, those areas often have tornado shelters for people. For anyone on the road during severe weather, try to safely and quickly get inside.

"If for some reason you really are caught out, you need to get off of the road and find one of those sturdy structures," she said. "So, please don't do the 'pull off the side of the road and get in a ditch.' That is not safe. That is old theory. That's not what we say anymore. You need to exit the road. Get off of the highway or wherever you are and get into a sturdy structure. That's the best way to stay safe."

Even when storm chances are low, families can take this a good reminder to check batteries in flash lights, check generators, and know your shelter plan if there is a tornado warning. And if the power goes out from downed power lines, take a mental check of what time it goes out. Typically food can last about four hours if you keep your refrigerator closed. And don't forget to charge devices.

Weather Alerts

There are a number of ways residents can stay on top of weather alerts, including signing up for the city's automated alerts by texting "LENSAlert" to 67283 to subscribe to Louisville's Emergency Notification System.

The WDRB weather app will also keep you informed about severe weather. It's a free download that provides access to notifications and alerts, well as live radar, hourly and daily weather, and much more.

"We always encourage people to have at least two ways to receive warnings, because, what if your cell phone dies or the cell service is out or something like that?" Strong said.

She recommends having a NOAA weather radio programmed to receive local storm warnings, as well as monitoring newscasts.

"When we say there's a warning, that should change the choices that you're making through the day," Strong said. "That's when the weather is a threat to you. So if you hear a meteorologist say 'There's a thunderstorm warning' or 'a tornado warning,' we are begging you to do something different, to make a different choice. That's how you're going to stay safe."

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