Tornado season is here and preparedness is key. The National Weather Service will be conducting a statewide tornado drill in Illinois today.

The Weather Service says Weather Radio, radio and television stations, cell phones and sirens will all be activated at 10 am for the drill.

The National Weather Service office wants area residents to take time to consider what you would do in the event it was a real tornado warning.

A Tornado Watch simply means that conditions are favorable for the possibility of tornadoes to develop.

A Tornado Warning means a tornado has actually been sighted.

For protection you should move to your basement or get under a heavy table or workbench, if possible. If you have no basement take cover in small, interior rooms on the lowest level – such as a bathroom or in a closet. It is preferred that those areas have no windows.

If you are in an office building or school, protect yourself in an interior hallway or a lower floor. Avoid auditoriums or gymnasiums or other structures with wide, free-span roofs.

If you are in a mobile home or vehicle and a tornado warning is given, it is best that you leave them and go to a substantial structure. If there is no shelter nearby and the tornado is approaching you should lie flat in the nearest ditch, ravine or culvert with your hands shielding your head.

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