Once again, the weather reminds us who's invincible.

The several inches of rain that hammered Racine County over the weekend prove Mother Nature is and we're definitely not. Basements and parks were flooded, residents had to be evacuated and segments of well-traveled streets were shut down.

The effects could have been much worse. No serious injuries were reported, thanks in part to the efforts of area officials. Rescue personnel evacuated trapped residents in a timely manner, and municipal workers stacked sandbags and pumped water out of people's basements.

Yet the anecdotes of those who risked both their cars and their lives trying to drive through flooded roadways reinforce the importance of taking dangerous weather seriously.

It's not as though emergencies are only a faded memory. We're coming off one of the snowier winters in recent years, and tornadoes struck this portion of the state in January.

Residents must take responsibility to protect their families when storms threaten. At a minimum, they should understand the terminology used to classify the level of danger. Just like the government's color-coded terror threat chart, the National Weather Service has a tiered system of watches and warnings.

A watch tells people to stay alert because flash floods, severe thunderstorms or tornadoes could occur. If it actually happens, the weather service issues a warning.

Most municipalities sound sirens for three to five minutes when tornado warnings are issued. Roughly two dozen are spread around the county. When people hear the siren, they should immediately head for shelter.

However, those sirens are not a catch-all. They can be difficult to hear indoors and do not sound for floods or severe thunderstorms. Plus, there's no signal to alert people a warning has expired or been called off. That's why residents need to stay informed using a weather radio or by following media reports.

The weather service also deserves a thumbs-up for its new "polygon" warning system. Normally something that warns (ital)fewer(end ital) people would be cause for concern, but this is an exception. Instead of covering entire counties, meteorologists now have the option of declaring warnings for only certain sections of a county.

Under the old system, for example, Racinians who saw nothing but blue skies could be sent running to the basement when in reality only Wind Lake was in a storm's path. More targeted announcements can only help restore some of the public trust in meteorology.

When severe weather strikes, no form of communication can catch everyone. It's up to all of us, whether in our homes, on the road or on a boat, to know what's happening and avoid unnecessary risks.