Charles Crane/MDN Minot Police Administration Commander Jason Sundbakken, right, answers a question regarding the storm shelter in the Minot Municipal Court during the final neighborhood meeting on Thursday.

The City of Minot wrapped up the last of its neighborhood meeting series at the Municipal Court room on Thursday with a meeting focused on emergency operations and shelter.

Minot Police Administration Commander Jason Sundbakken gave a presentation on the City’s storm shelter. Sundbakken noted information on the City’s storm shelter was relevant given recent weather events, including a series of damaging tornadoes on June 20 that resulted in three fatalities near Enderlin.

Sundbakken explained the storm shelter is opened when a tornado watch or warning has been issued by the National Weather Service (NWS). He said when a severe thunderstorm is observed, the NWS radar and weather spotters out in the field monitor the storm for tornadic activity.

“I always like to tell people every tornado comes from a severe thunderstorm, but not every severe thunderstorm has a tornado warning. So if you have a severe thunderstorm warning, it doesn’t mean you should go to the basement. But it gives you the time to shelter in a structure or monitor the weather,” Sundbakken said.

Sundbakken clarified that a tornado watch indicates the weather conditions are right for a tornado to form but hasn’t necessarily been seen while a tornado warning indicates a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar and posing an immediate threat to life and property.

“You don’t necessarily need to have a tornado on the ground, but like with the recent storms in the south and east part of the state, they could tell there is rotation in the clouds,” Sundbakken said. “When that happens, the public should seek shelter immediately.”

In the event of a tornado watch or warning, the storm shelter at Minot Municipal Court located on the west side of the Municipal Auditorium will be opened to the public. Sundbakken noted at some point recently the magnet sign designating the Municipal Court as a storm shelter had either been stolen or blown away, and has since been replaced with one bolted to the door. The actual location of the shelter is in an interior hallway between the Municipal Court and the gym.

“The reason why we chose this spot is because it’s a brick hallway inside a brick building inside the auditorium and adjacent to the gym. It’s got brick on either side. It’s got a fortified ceiling, so hopefully all of those things will create a reinforced fortified area for you to shelter during a storm,” Sundbakken said.

Sundbakken said he didn’t know the exact capacity of the shelter, but speculated it could hold between 100 to 200 people depending on how many show up during an event. He said the City of Minot used to have several shelters located at various schools throughout town, but was changed to a single location in 2013 as it was more ideal from a logistical standpoint.

“That was maybe a little bit more convenient for people, but the problem with that logistically was getting people to all those various places to get them opened. Sometimes it actually took a lot longer than it would be just having a single location that everyone knows about that they can come to and be safe at during those storms,” Sundbakken said. “Especially since we just open it when there’s a watch. It’s just faster, easier, and works better for everybody.”

An attendee asked if pets would be allowed to shelter with their owners, and Sundbakken said he wouldn’t turn anyone away, noting that pets are important to people and could be placed away from those with allergies or concerns.

“I’m not going to ever turn anyone away when there’s severe weather outside,” Sundbakken said.

Ward County Director of Emergency Management Kelly Haugan advised those who cannot make it to a shelter in time after a tornado has been sited to go to a basement, or the centermost room in the building they are in.

“They’ll give you some protection. It’s better than being outside,” Haugan said.

Sirens, alerts

Minot Assistant City Manager Tom Joyce provided information on the siren system in Minot, which encompasses 20 sirens located throughout the city. The system includes audible sirens and an automated voice messaging system explaining the nature of the event.

The outdoor warning sirens are not intended to be heard inside buildings, and the public is advised to sign up for hyper-reach alerts from Ward County Emergency Management. The Hyper-Reach alerts provide updates on a number of emergency events from severe weather, fires, floods, public health alerts and criminal activity.

“It isn’t just for the weather. It’s for any kind of emergency. If there’s a message we need to push out to the public, like, ‘We have a standoff in this area. Stay away from there,’ we will push it out with Hyper-Reach,” Sundbakken said. “We can geofence a certain area, and those are the individuals it will go out to.”

More information for signing up for Hyper-Reach alerts can be found on the Ward County website.