Published: July 08, 2009 01:27 pm      

Ken Schulz talks weather safety in Southern Indiana

Former weatherman to speak Thursday in Jeffersonville; July 20 in Henryville

Former WHAS-TV weatherman Ken Schulz stressed readiness at a talk with seniors at New Albany’s Riverview Towers on Tuesday.

“Weather safety can keep you alive,” said Schulz, who’s been away from broadcasting for about a year.

He told those attending to trust their instincts in a storm.

“If something doesn’t look right, don’t wait for somebody on TV or radio to tell you to take shelter,” he said.

Schulz told residents to have a safe place — an interior room or closet on a building’s lowest level — ready to go before a storm hits.

He noted the importance of communication when severe weather is approaching, sharing a humorous tale of being in the shower when his family neglected to tell him that a tornado warning had been issued.

He also dismissed a couple of common myths about severe weather:

• Don’t leave your car to hide under an overpass during a storm;

• Don’t waste time opening windows when a tornado is coming; and

• Don’t worry about going to the southwest corner of the building during a tornado — an interior room is better.

He also shared a couple of general safety tips:

• Don’t use phone landlines during severe storms;

• Keep windows shut when lightning is a threat; and

• Avoid using showers, bathtubs and sinks during storms.

“[Schulz] contacted us, and we just jumped on it,” said Janet Manzo, with Lifespan Resources.

That agency runs the meal sites where the talks were taking place.

Tuesday’s event was one in a series of weather talks scheduled in the coming weeks. Similar events are scheduled in Jeffersonville, New Albany and Henryville. The talks are free and open to the public.

Schulz opted to retire from WHAS last year as changes were being made at the station. He now works for Humana MarketPOINT, speaking on health and wellness matters.

He said he’s not just talking about weather for the company, but branching out into physical and fiscal wellness topics as well.

He’s also a pitchman for a Humana-sponsored WLKY-TV product called Weathercall, which alerts residents of impending severe weather. Those interested in signing up for the service can visit wlky.com.



DO IT LIVE

Former TV weatherman Ken Schulz is doing a number of talks on severe weather preparedness in the area during the coming weeks:

• THURSDAY — 10:30 a.m. at Ken Ellis Senior Center, 1425 Pennsylvania Ave., Jeffersonville

• JULY 16 — 10:45 a.m. at Mark Elrod Towers, One Wolfe Trace, New Albany

• JULY 20 — 11:30 a.m. at Henryville United Methodist Church, 113 S. Ferguson