Preparedness and awareness are key before severe weather strikes, especially as warmer temperatures increase the risk of thunderstorms and tornadoes.
April got off to a rocky start in North Texas Monday, April 4 with many residents experiencing severe weather. In Princeton, the city was placed under a tornado watch and flash flood warning. The following day, April 5, the National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in Blue Ridge. There were no injuries or deaths reported.
Princeton Fire Department Emergency Management Specialist Ben Harp, a 17-year veteran of the department, assumed his new role Monday, April 4. He was previously a shift captain at Fire Station No. 3.
Harp says awareness is important because the city’s five outdoor warning systems are meant to alert residents outside their homes. For indoor alerts, he recommends residents use the My Civic notification system, which replaced the city’s Code Red notifications.
Residents can sign up for the notifications on the city’s website.
“This application will alert them either by phone, email or text message should an emergency be declared in Princeton,” Harp said. “The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) weather radio is also a huge asset for residents to have in the event of severe weather.”
For the full story, see the April 14 issue of The Princeton Herald.
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