Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Tri-State area

Tornado sirens went off in schools across Illinois this morning at 10.

There was no emergency, it was part of Emergency Preparedness Week in the state.

Schools practiced keeping students safe if a tornado should strike.

Payson-Seymour High School Principal John Wallace says his school does two drills each year according to state mandate.

That allows them to look for problems before an emergency happens. 

"That's why we do these drills,'' said Wallace, "to make sure we have enough room in an area for students to be safe and still be a bit comfortable.''

We hope it doesn't happen in our area, but Mother Nature sometimes has other plans.

It's severe weather season in the Tri-States and beyond.

Devastation hit Enterprise, Alabama last week when a tornado ripped through a high school, killing eight students.

The tragedy has raised questions about the way school officials handled the tornado warning.

Administrators were warned about the severe storm about 3 hours before the twister tore through the school.

Some wondered whether classes should have been dismissed earlier.

Alabama's governor defended the actions of school officials, saying they "saved a lot of lives" by keeping the students inside the building.

How should schools prepare for severe weather?

"Keep supplies on hand like flashlights that the students might need. The second thing is make a plan," Adams County Emergency Management Agency Director John Simon said. "Know what you're going to do to respond and practice."

And practice is just what Payson-Seymour School is doing as part of Illinois' Severe Weather Preparedness Week. The school took part in a state-wide tornado drill to help prepare for the worst.

Do these drills really work?

"I don't know," Principal Wallace said. "We do the best we can. You hope it never happens but if it does, we feel we've got them in the safest spots possible.

You might think a bathroom is a strange spot for a tornado drill, but it's actually one of the safest.

The school has a second drill planned later this school year, following the state's recommendation to have at least two per year.

All in an effort to prepare for the worst, while hoping for the best.

We asked Principal John Wallace what he would've done in a situation like the one that happened in Alabama last week.

He says he would never try to put students on buses if a tornado posed a threat, because time is of the essence.