'Now is the time to take action:' Alabama officials prepare for severe storms

Jim Coker, with emergency management in Alabama's Jefferson County, urges safety and preparedness with severe weather barreling toward Alabama.

Transcript

00:00Jim Coker is the director of Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency at Birmingham is the big city in Jefferson County

00:08Obviously Jim, we know that Birmingham and areas like Tuscaloosa are no strangers to severe weather at recent decades

00:15And people may be on edge there. So what's the latest and how are your crews ready ahead of these storms?

00:23Great

00:25Phenomenal question. Sorry, I hadn't slept a whole lot

00:28We've been preparing for several days

00:31So all of our public safety personnel have been assembling response teams that are pre-staged around the county

00:38And they're ready to go and currently we're watching storms that are southwest of us

00:43Many times these storms will track right up I-20 toward the Birmingham area the metro area

00:50We hope not today. We hope that they do weekend

00:53So a lot of preparation has gone into it a lot of messaging a lot of telling people how to receive warnings

01:00And very important right now as we do see storms approaching us now is the time to take action

01:07Now is the time to get to a safe place. We do have a PDS watch

01:12You cannot wait until the warning is dropped

01:15That's very true. And Jim

01:16I know that some of the things you do are aimed at the general public making sure people are equipped to

01:22Make the right decisions and have a plan in place other things that you do

01:25Maybe kind of a little bit more internal working with emergency management agencies on county levels fire departments and so forth

01:32And what kinds of things have you done on the internal side with other state and county and local?

01:38Agencies to make sure they're ready to go

01:40Our staff has worked on this all week. So our emergency operation center has been open since about three o'clock this morning

01:47hours in advance of the storms arrival

01:50Currently in the EOC we have representatives from several cities from the county and several state agencies

01:56We all work together. We practice together. We prepare together

01:59We plan together and this is the kind of day when all that comes into play

02:04Are there any particular challenges about this severe weather event as opposed to others?

02:10Everyone has challenges and the main thing is messaging and that is something we've really been working on this week

02:17Because your messaging must include something that just gets the public to take action

02:23Make your plans, but you've got to take an action because your actions may protect yourself and your family

02:28That's true. And many of you who are tuned in to us are probably the ones who are responsible

02:32For the well-being of others in your home

02:34So what kind of messages might you have for residents this evening in Birmingham? Maybe in other parts of Alabama as well?

02:41Know where your shelters are. Know where your best place to find shelter

02:46If you are not anywhere near a community storm shelter, if you have a basement

02:50It's a good day to go to the basement. If you live in an apartment or a home that is a single story

02:58The center of your house put as many walls between you and the outside walls as you can

03:04Usually a bathroom is located there. That is a good place to go

03:08But check on your family, check on your neighbors, know where they are

03:12Because if a storm does come through, if you already know where your family is, that helps account for

03:18All right, very good. We appreciate your insight and all that you're doing to keep those in Jefferson County, Alabama safe

03:23Jim Cocker with the Jefferson County, Alabama Emergency Management Agency. Thanks again, Jim

03:29Thank you very much