Severe Weather Awareness Week blew in this week with several activities to make Iowans aware of the many spring and summer weather dangers.

Lori Morrissey, Story County emergency management coordinator, said the activities were designed to make Iowa residents aware of other weather hazards besides tornadoes.

Throughout the week thunderstorms, tornadoes, non-weather hazards, National Weather Radio and floods will be discussed.

Today, National Weather Radio will be discussed, and floods will be the topic on Friday.

A statewide tornado drill was held between 10 and 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Morrissey said all Iowa counties, Story County towns, the media, fire departments, law enforcement agencies, hospitals and schools were asked to participate, but the drill was voluntary.

Ames Fire Chief Mike Childs said the tornado siren was turned on at 10:15 a.m.

He said the siren is operated by the police department at the Emergency Dispatch Center in City Hall.

The siren is tested the first Wednesday of every month between April and October, unless weather conditions conflict.

Childs said a second siren is turned on in Ames if awareness needs to be heightened.

Morrissey said she participated in a public service announcement Monday on KASI Radio regarding Severe Weather Awareness Week.

She also said the county’s contacts with cities and the county’s phone and radio communications with the National Weather Service were tested Tuesday.

William Gallus, assistant professor of meteorology, said the Iowa State Meteorology department is “not doing anything special” for Severe Weather Awareness Week.

This week has been designated for the National Weather Service to educate the average person about weather hazards, Gallus said.

He said no activities were planned for the week, because meteorology students know more about weather than the average person.

Morrissey said she is also promoting the NOAA weather radios that have been publicized on KCCI-TV Channel 8 News.

She said the radios are on constantly but are quiet until a warning signal goes off when severe weather is in the area.

She said she would love to get the radios in every home in Iowa.

Morrissey said there are several Multi-Hazard Safety Programs for Schools taught throughout Iowa, including two that are taught in Ames.

The programs educate school administrators about many problems in the work place including evacuations, procedures for schools hit by tornadoes if assistance is not available and violence in the work place.

The programs have reached 100 people in Iowa and 35 in Ames, she said.

More than 38 tornadoes strike Iowa annually, and the number of tornadoes in Iowa have increased in recent years.

According to the Iowa Emergency Management Division, there have been 71 reported tornadoes since 1990.

Iowa has the sixth highest number of tornadoes, and is ranked 22nd in number of fatalities due to tornadoes in the United States between 1950 and 1995.