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Page 4 • PLA1NDEALER-HER ALP, FRIDAY. MARCH 1,1985 Emergency services gives advice to prepare for tornado season •"* . >• > • 'i-v ••••• 4 • - -.r • • . : i ' ^ f * -V McHenry County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency (MCESDA) has been instructed by proclamation of the McHenry county board and chairman, Edward Buss, to participate in the state-wide tornado drill on March 5, at approximately 10 a.m. i This is in cooperation with the Illinois Emergency Services and Disaster Agency and the National Weather Service (NWS), according to MCESDA Director John J. Shay. The purpose of this drill is to • provide an opportunity for all . those concerned with protection from tornadoes to review their plans for tornado preparedness and to test those plans. "We are particularly interested in : making certain that schools, hospitals, factories and offices • test their plans," Shay said. r r History has recorded tor­ nadoes in McHenry County on several occasions. In October, 1959, the Edgebrook Heights section of McHenry suffered thousands of dollars in property damage. On April 11, Crystal Lake, Island Lake and much of the area between these cities experienced tornadoes that left six people dead, scores injured and millions of dollars in property damage. On April 21, 1967, the western portion of McHenry County received considerable property damage at the time Belvidere, Lake Zurich and Oak Lawn were recording 33 deaths and 500 injuries. Mini-tornadoes were also recorded in Lawrence on June 16, 1973, and Lake in the Hills on August 15, 1978. BEFORE When the skies look threatening, listen to the radio. The National Weather Service tracks weather systems with radar and is usually able to give adequate warning. When a watch is issued, listen to broadcast advisories and be ready to take cover. It is wise to collect a battery-powered light and radio and have family members within earshot under watch conditions. Also, take your car keys; should a tornado hit your area, your car may still be operable, but keys would be lost in the rubble. Take an inventory of all your household furnishings and personal belongings. In case of tornado or other disaster, this inventory will be invaluable to you in settling your insurance claim. Make sure you keep your inventory in a safe place, like a bank safe deposit box. DURING A tornado sounds like the roar of hundreds of airplanes. You'll probably get warning before that ominous sound approaches. We suggest you listen to the radio when the sky looks for- boding. A tornado "watch" means a tornado has actually been sighted. For further protection, move to your basement. Get under a heavy table or work bench if possible. If you have no basement, take cover in small, Workshop to increase bluebird population set Phone registrations are being taken for the upcoming Bluebird Nest Box Workshop in Crystal Lake, according to Carl Becker, natural heritage section chief, DOC Division of Forest Resources and Natural Heritage. The Crystal Lake workshop will be held Tuesday, April 5. The first 30 registrants will be provided with a cut-out bluebird box, Becjfier said. A lack of natural nesting cavities, and the effects of DDT insecticides, have caused a 90 percent decline in the Illinois bluebird population in the last several decades, Becker ex­ plained. The bluebird workshop series will instruct volunteers in building and locating artificial nest boxes. Workshop participants will see a film entitled "Gems of Blue," and receive specialized instruction in building their model bluebird nest box. Becker explained that the participants will be encouraged to use the initial nest box as a model for another four boxes to create a five-box bluebird trail. "We know from past ex­ perience that these nest boxes can make a tremendous dif­ ference," he said. "One volunteer built and placed 171 Glemby International Hair Studios at Bergner's Haircut With the purchase of any of our quality permanent waves or relaxers Save $9 use is avai \at>\e n w Reg. $39 $49 $59 Now $30 $40 $50 Complete Price includes perm or relaxer, haircut, finishing rinse conditioner and set or blow dry. Good thru March 31,1985 Not valid in Super Saver Salons Charge It! CujkfiVj boxes last year which produced 170 young. This happened in a county where you couldn't find a bluebird in 1971." "At a minimum, we hope the workshop series will result in 550 nest boxes placed in the state," he said. "If every participant builds five boxes, as suggested, we could see 2,750 nest boxes resulting from one workshop series." ^ The upcoming workshop will be held at Central Grade School, Crystal Lake, 9:30 p.m., Friday, April 5. Register in advance by calling (815) 675- 2385. Funding for the Bluebird Nest Box Workshop was provided by citizens who participated in the Illinois Nongame Check-Off Program. The program makes it possible for taxpayers to target all, or part, of their an­ ticipated state income tax refund to the Illinois Nongame Wildlife Conservation Fund. For further information regarding the Bluebird Workshop Series, or other projects funded by Nongame Checkoff funds, contact: Department of Conservation, Division of Forest Resources and Natural Heritage, 524 S. Second St., Springfield, ILL. 62706; tel. (217) 785-8774. windowless interior rooms on the lowest level. If you're in an office building or school, protect yourself in an interior hallway or a lower floor. Avoid auditoriums or gynfe nasiums or other structures with wide, free-span roofs. In mobile homes or vehicles, leave them and go to a sub­ stantial structure. If there is no shelter nearby, lie flat in the nearest ditch, ravine or culvert with your hands shielding your head. AFTER Closely inspect your property, including automobiles, for damage. Report any gas leaks or electrical damage im­ mediately. If your home is damaged, get in touch with your insurance agent or company. In the meantime, secure your remaining property to protect it from further damage or theft. Take an inventory of the damage so you can file your insurance claim as soon as possible. Notify your relatives of your safety. Local authorities can waste time trying to locate you if you don't send word. Limit your calls, do not tie up the telephone lines with unnecessary calls. Cooperate in the general clean-up of debris. You are responsible for cleaning debris from your own property. The MCESDA weather division will sponsor a weather training seminar and refresher. The purpose of the seminar is to train weather spotters and refresh those spotters who have taken the class in the past years. Subjects covered will be thunderstorm development, safety and reporting rules and how our Emergency Operating Center (EOC) operates during watches and warnings. This seminar will be given twice on Thursday March 28. The first will be from 9 a.m. to noon and the second will be 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. It will be held in the operations room of the EOC at the Courthouse. Those completing the final examination will be awarded certificates designating them as a tornado spotter by MCESDA. registration is jary* If any cotfbt3k resident would be interested in attending this seminar, or ob­ taining additional information on severe storms and tornadoes, call the MCESDA office at 338- 6400 or in person at the Cour­ thouse, 2200 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, HI. If you are registering for the spotters class you must do so by Friday, March 22. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Volunteers are needed to deliver meals during the lun- chtime hour for the McHenry County Senior Citizens Council. There is mileage reim­ bursement. Persons who find they may have time to deliver meals to homebound people in the McHenry, Crystal Lake or Cary areas are asked to call Sue Dollahan, (815) 455-2157 or toll free, 1-800-892-3273. Just south the the five large flood control gates at McHenry dam, there used to be an island. Due to the frigh water flow, the island is no covered by water and ice. FLOOD -- (Continued from page I) which has a "water equivalent" of 2.75 inches, and better than an inch of rain falling last weekend has led to a steady rise in the river. On the bright side, this is not a gloom-and-doom prediction. Right now, we are seeing water flows, but we're not g any records," Novak said. He cautioned, however, that the Fox River is traditionally the last one to see trouble. Novak is hoping for some help from Mother Nature. The best that could happen now would be low, freezing temperatures at night to keep the ground water nelp slow the luing would be to aid in the ground and help smaller tributaries. During the day, ideal conditions sunny and windy from the evaporation tributaries. "The water that could cause problems is already in the tributaries," Novak said. Onthe dark side, a heavy rain could mean annoyances in low- lying areas along the Chain and river. Typically, a winter or spring rain is more widespread and of longer duration than summer thunderstorms. Novak said it could take a couple weeks to recover com­ pletely from the rapid melting and recent rains. Frank Novak (above) is shown with one of the gauges that records the change in the level of the Fox River at McHenry dam. Novak is the lockmaster at McHenry dam. 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