The recent tornado season has been quite tumultuous, and the state of Illinois has responded with a new law.
It’s safe to say that this summer has been far from smooth sailing. The Chicago area, for instance, experienced an alarming 33 tornadoes last week, a considerable increase from their usual average of 5 or 6 per year. In the QCA region, the recent derecho caused 5 tornadoes to wreak havoc.
Meanwhile, May was an unprecedentedly turbulent month in Iowa, with over 80 tornadoes recorded, a stark contrast to the monthly average of 11.
Incredibly enough, this year’s tornado season has been nothing short of insane. During the same week that another round of severe storms hit Illinois and Iowa, the Illinois House passed HB5238.
Weather radios will be a legal requirement for all manufactured homes built in Illinois starting in 2023. This new regulation ensures that residents can stay informed and safe during severe weather events.
According to a National Weather Service official, it is advisable for all households, including traditional houses, to have weather radios. However, the law mandates that mobile homes or factory-built homes on a plot of land must have a weather radio. This is because such homes are deemed unsafe during severe weather conditions, and it is crucial for people residing in them to have at least two ways of receiving severe weather notifications.
If you’ve ever been within earshot of a weather radio when it triggers, you are certainly alerted. Its sound is much louder than that of a phone, and I remember jumping out of my seat when my family’s weather radio went off one night.
