Manassas Park Employees Participate In State Tornado Drill

Manassas Park City Hall workers joined thousands of others across Virginia in participating in a potentially life-saving exercise Tuesday.

 When the clock struck 9:45 a.m., the annual Ready Virginia Statewide Tornado Drill began and Manassas Park local government workers proceeded to designated safe areas in the building, said city fire marshal Mark Joyner, who facilitated Tuesday’s drill at city hall.

 The drill began with the National Weather Service sending a test tornado warning, which triggered a tone alert and message on all NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Radios.

 “We were fortunate to have all of city hall participate,” he said. “It’s a two-story building and I was teaching them where all the designated (safe) areas are in city hall.”

 A windowless interior room on the lowest level of a home or building that is accessable within three minutes is a good place to take shelter from a tornado, according to emergency officials.

 There are three such places in the Manassas Park City Hall, he said.

Once a designated area is reached, the "drop,cover and hold" position should  be assumed. This means to crouch as low as possible, face down and cover the head with the hands.

 City employees were taught to go to safety immediately if a tornado warning is issued for Manassas Park.

 A tornado watch means that conditions are favorable for tornadic activity, Joyner said.

 A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted in the area and to take cover, he added.

 “Don’t just sit and wait on what happens next. Once the warning is issued, go to your predestinated area,” Joyner said.

 Tuesday’s drill went well and as planned, he said.

 Certain employees were assigned the responsibility of making sure everyone gets to safety in case of an emergency, he said.

 Those employees were given flashlights  and were told they are also responsible for doing a headcount after an emergency has passed, he said.

 The Manassas Park City Hall is a hub of activity and emergency officials do their best to make sure that everyone who visits and works in the building is safe, he said.

 It is the hope of emergency officials that other residents are making their own plans to stay safe when faced with inclement weather, Joyner said.

 “The key is to take it seriously,” Joyner said. “When there is a tornado warning, that doesn’t mean we should be out on the deck, looking (at the sky.)”

 Public education is one of the ways emergency officials try to ready residents, he said.

 Tornadoes are common in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.  In the last three years, 62 have touched down in the Commonwealth resulting in more than 220 injuries and causing about $48 million in damages.

 A tornado was spotted in Fauquier County Thursday, resulting in a tornado warning being issued for Manassas Park and neighboring areas, Joyner said.

 For more information about tornado and emergency preparedness, visit www.vaemergency.com or www.ReadyVirgnia.gov.