SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Springfield Office of the National Weather Service (NWS) will offer its “Severe Weather Preparedness 101” webinar on Tuesday, March 30 and Tuesday, April 6. The webinar is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on both days.

Experts will teach viewers about NWS severe weather forecast products, forecasting approaches, science, sending reports, and how to prepare for the upcoming Spring season. To register for the webinar visit www.weather.gov/media/sgf/Outreach/SevereWeatherPreparedness101WebinarRegistration.pdf

As the storm season begins, the City of Joplin encourages residents to have a plan for where to seek shelter during severe weather. They should also have an emergency supplies kit packed with bottled water, non-perishable foods, necessary medications, a flashlight, batteries and a first aid kit.

“Another tool that will help community members be prepared for emergencies is an all-hazards NOAA weather alert radio,” adds Joplin Emergency Manager Keith Stammer. “These programmable radios operate on electricity with battery-backup. They can be programmed to receive information for only the counties and topics of interest to the user. They carry alerts and information on severe weather, missing children, public health emergencies, civil emergencies and more.”

The radios can be purchased at local retailers. For more information on preparing for emergencies, go to the Joplin-Jasper County Office of Emergency Management website at http://www.joplinmo.org/221/Plan-Prepare.