Learning Tornado Safety thru Poster Contest

Severe weather can strike at a moment’s notice, so being prepared can be a lifesaver.  Oconee County Emergency Services is once again sponsoring the annual Tornado Safety Poster Contest and invites students of all ages to become educated, explains Oconee County Emergency Management director Scott Krein.  “We do education in the school system with tornado posters and we use the poster as a learning aid to teach the dangers and the things to do during a tornado.  We are in a tornado area and have been very lucky in the recent past that we have been spared but we still do have the threat and so we try to teach it at a young age of what to do.  This is how we encourage it and the winners do receive some monetary gifts and an award.” The contest is open to all students in grades one through six in any Oconee County school. There will be winners and runners-up at each grade level and a grand prizewinner. A committee of judges will choose winners from each grade level during the period of February 11-15. Schools with winners will be notified during Severe Weather Awareness Week, March 3-9, and certificates and cash prizes will be awarded in March. Entries should be submitted to the Office of Emergency Services no later than February 1, 2013.