Transcript: Health and Safety Podcast

May 13, 2026

Hello, and welcome to the Fairfax County Health and Safety Podcast. Coming up, learn about tornadoes and tornado safety, flash flooding, and drought. Links to topics mentioned in this podcast can be found online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Whether you’ve lived through a tornado warning before or you’re new to tornadoes, now is the time to figure out what you would do and where you’d go if a tornado warning was issued. Not every room offers the same protection. Here’s what to look for:

• At home, head to the lowest floor. A basement is your best bet. If you don’t have one, pick a small interior room on the ground floor, like a bathroom, closet or hallway. The key is to put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Stay away from windows, doors and exterior walls.
• At work or school, the rules are the same. Get to the lowest level, move to an interior room or hallway, and stay clear of large open spaces like cafeterias or gyms. Those wide roofs can collapse more easily.
• In a mobile home, get out. Period. Mobile homes offer almost no protection from a tornado, even if they’re tied down. Find a sturdy building nearby or identify your community’s storm shelter before bad weather rolls in.

Tornadoes don’t always look like the ones in movies. Here’s what to watch for:

• A dark, greenish sky
• Large hail, especially without rain
• A loud, continuous roar that sounds like a freight train
• A visible funnel cloud or a low-hanging, rotating cloud base
• Flying debris in the air, even if you can’t see a funnel

A Tornado Watch means conditions are right for tornadoes to form. Stay alert, keep an eye on the weather and be ready to move to your safe room quickly. A Tornado Warning means a tornado has been spotted or picked up on radar. This is the real deal. Act immediately. Our emergency information blog has more; visit fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency/blog.

Flash flooding kills more people in the U.S. each year than tornadoes, hurricanes or lightning. And it’s getting worse. Warmer air holds more moisture, which means heavier downpours. Combine that with dried-out soil that can’t absorb water fast enough, and you get flash floods in places that never had them before. Here’s what you should actually do:

• Know your flood risk. Check FEMA’s flood maps for your address. Even if you’ve never flooded before, that doesn’t mean you won’t this spring.
• Keep important documents in a waterproof bag. A simple dry bag works. Insurance papers, IDs, medical records. If you have to leave fast, grab the bag and go.
• Have a plan for your pets. Most emergency shelters won’t take animals. Know which ones do, or have a friend outside your flood zone who can take them in.
• Never drive through standing water. Six inches of fast-moving water can knock you off your feet. Twelve inches can carry away a car. Turn around, don’t drown. It sounds dramatic, but it’s the number one way that people die in flash floods.

Learn more about flooding and other emergency preparedness tips on our emergency information blog; fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency/blog.

Each month, our Department of Emergency Management and Security produces the “Emergency Preparedness” newsletter and a monthly preparedness webinar. Learn more at fairfaxcounty.gov/emergencymanagement.

Virginia is in the middle of its most severe drought since 2007, and Fairfax County is not spared. A prolonged stretch of warm, dry weather that began in fall 2025 has steadily worsened conditions across the state, and there is no significant rain in the immediate forecast. The U.S. Drought Monitor’s April 14 report shows that more than 60% of Virginia is now classified as D2 (Severe Drought) or higher. That’s the largest share of the state in Severe Drought in nearly 20 years, surpassing levels seen during droughts in 2008, 2010, 2023 and 2024. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, working with the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force, has placed all counties and cities in the commonwealth under a drought watch or warning advisory. Fairfax County is among the localities under a Drought Warning advisory, the more serious of the two designations. A drought warning means a significant drought event is considered imminent. Other Northern Virginia localities under the same designation include Arlington, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties, as well as the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. Consider taking proactive steps to conserve water. The Metropolitan Washington Water Supply and Drought Awareness Response Plan offers a few practical steps everyone can take, including:

• Cut back on outdoor water use, including lawn watering and car washing
• Fix leaks inside and outside your home
• Run dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads
• Monitor drought conditions regularly

Get more details on our emergency information blog; fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency/blog.

Tornadoes can form fast and move faster. The biggest mistake people make is assuming they’ll have plenty of time. Sign up for Fairfax Alerts so you get emergency notifications sent straight to your cellphone and email. You can choose to receive weather, traffic and public safety alerts and customize how they’re delivered. Register for free at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/alerts. A few minutes of prep now could make all the difference when every second counts.

That’s it for this edition of the Fairfax County Health and Safety Podcast, produced by the Fairfax County, Va., Government. Thanks for listening. Additional information about health and safety topics and emergency preparedness may be found on our emergency information blog at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/emergency/blog. Follow the Health and Safety podcast on soundcloud.com/fairfaxcounty and our podcasts webpage, fairfaxcounty.gov/podcasts. And remember, if you have a police, fire, or medical emergency, call 9-1-1. For non-emergency needs, call 703-691-2131.