PADUCAH (WSIL) -- This is Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky.
The National Weather Service's Severe Weather Preparedness Campaign is an effort to make sure the public is ready in the event of severe weather.
"Our primary objective, really, of the campaigns is to educate everybody about weather hazards for our region, and most importantly, what they need to do to stay informed and to protect themselves," says Rick Shanklin, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Paducah.
Having multiple ways to receive alerts is crucial to staying safe.
"When you have a tornado in an area, that's when you're most likely to have a failure in technology. Don't rely just on a weather radio. Don't rely just on a cell phone. Certainly don't rely on outdoor warning sirens for being inside, those are for people outdoors."
Whether you're in public or at home, there are simple safety tips to keep in mind.
"You want to put as many walls between you and the outside as you can. You definitely want to be in a room that doesn't have windows, and the smallest room is generally the best, so a small, interior room. If it's a multiple level building or home, you need to be on the lowest floor," explains Shanklin.
A mobile home is never a safe place to be during a tornado warning.
"You need to abandon your mobile home. That is how most of the fatalities in our region and nationwide have occurred, so have a plan."
Missouri and Illinois held tornado drills Tuesday morning to test equipment and practice safety plans. Kentucky will hold drills Wednesday morning.
For more safety tips to keep your family safe during severe weather, click .
