By Angela Hatton
Benton, KY – Churches need to be prepared for severe weather. That's the message the Kentucky Office of Emergency Management is spreading through a series of events aimed at church leaders. During a Church Tornado Awareness and Planning meeting at Mount Carmel United Methodist in Benton, officials noted in the past decade tornadoes have leveled two churches in western Kentucky. Another church was partially destroyed. Kentucky Region 1 EM Director Mark Garland says church design makes the buildings particularly susceptible to tornado damage.
"For example, we've seen facilities like for manufacturing plants where they have the large open truss steel type buildings which a lot of large churches are using nowadays. Historically, when a storm hits those, it rips the outer sheathing off and everything inside's exposed, and the walls simply fall in."
Garland says congregations can save lives by moving everyone into a smaller interior room. EM officials emphasized the need for a severe weather plans, tornado drills, and weather radios for all churches. The western Kentucky Weather Preparedness Committee has declared March 12 and 13 Church Tornado Awareness Weekend.