As with any natural disaster, facing a tornado is mostly about preparation. If you wait until one touches down in your area, it can be too late.
Over 1,000 tornadoes touch down in the United States every year. Preparing yourself for one event is much like getting ready for other natural disasters, but most importantly, you need to keep everyone in your home safe while waiting out the storm. Here’s how you can do that with confidence.
1. Prepare Early and Aggressively
Preparing ahead of the storm shows everyone that you take the initiative and are responsible, plus it can give you peace of mind if you ever have to face a natural disaster head-on.
Tornadoes can happen at any time of year, though the typical season is anywhere from spring to summer, depending on the region you live in. You might find tornadoes more common in the evening, so they may take place when you’re at home instead of the office.
As such, you should plan how to safeguard your house rather than focusing on your workplace.
First, you’ll need to collect things to keep in an emergency box. These items should sustain you through the duration of the storm, and include:
- Battery-powered radio: These devices will help keep you updated on the local news if the power goes out. Consider an NOAA weather radio as one of the best options for general disaster preparedness. (FYI: It’s best to not keep the batteries installed, but readily accessible, to avoid leakage and damage to your radio.)
- Extra batteries: You should have these for any battery-powered device, but especially for your radio.
- Nonperishable food: You still need to eat when you can’t cook anything. Ensure the canned and nonperishable food you store is nutritious and can provide you with the protein and vitamins you and your household need for at least a few days should the need arise.
- Medication: Family members that take medication daily need to have a separate container specifically for emergencies; be sure to rotate as necessary, let’s say twice a year.
2. Check in on Others
You need a few other things in addition to your box of necessities. When you’re able, you’ll want to check on your friends and family in the area or tell loved ones far away that you’re safe.
In that case, you’ll need a list of your local contacts’ phone numbers or email addresses, and you should have the same for relatives and friends who want to know how you’re doing. Having these at the ready can help you contact them easily.
An emergency plan is the most important thing you can make for your household. Make sure everyone in your home understands it. Be sure to tailor it to specific needs, such as family members with disabilities. You may also have pets that need special attention. Accounting for these individuals means less panic when the time comes.
Share knowledge with your neighbors. They may not know how to prepare for a severe storm, and your advice could save their lives. Make sure to remind them to keep important information, like legal documents, in a safe, protected place so they won’t have to scramble if the storm happens to blow directly through your neighborhood. Direct them to additional free resources that can help them prepare for a tornado if they’ve never faced one.
3. Prepare Your Shelter Room
You should choose a room in your house that will keep you safe from the strong winds if you plan to shelter in place. A basement is the best possible area in a home to shelter. If you don’t have a basement, the best place to be is on the lowest floor in an area without windows, which is usually a hallway or a closet. Wherever it is, make sure you’ve established this before the tornado watch happens.
Finding a safe place might be difficult for people who live in apartment complexes. If you live on a higher floor, you should get to the lowest level if possible. A downstairs neighbor might let you into their unit, but if not, you can take shelter under the stairs. Your whole aim is to get to the lowest point you can, away from windows or other things that could shatter and potentially harm you.
Once you have a safe area identified, make sure to stock your supplies nearby. They should remain there throughout tornado season, just in case you don’t have time to grab them, which is often the case with tornadoes in particular. If your family will nestle in a hallway, it might be more difficult to keep your supply box out of the way during the daily hustle and bustle. Tuck it in a nearby closet if you have no space for it in your safe area, but make sure it’s readily accessible and not buried under a ton of other items.
In addition to the preparation box discussed previously, you should also keep the area stocked with other things. Pillows and blankets can be good if you need to sleep in the area.
You may also choose to include additional clothing in your shelter room. Having several layers that you can put on or take off can help you stay warm or keep cool during a power outage. Packing heavy boots or other sturdy shoes is a good idea, too. This way, you won’t have to worry about cutting your feet on broken objects or other debris.
4. Stay Glued to the News
Those living in Tornado Alley should feel used to the idea of always having your television or radio tuned to the news from April to July. This region includes several Midwestern states and parts of others, such as northern Texas, eastern Colorado, and all of Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas.
Knowing the difference between a tornado warning and a watch is crucial. A tornado watch is simple: The condition is suitable for tornadoes to start appearing at any time, but an actual tornado hasn’t yet formed.
A tornado warning is different because it indicates that a funnel has touched down somewhere. Educate everyone you live with about the difference so they know what to look for if they happen to be home alone during a tornado warning.
If it’s safe to do so, check the sky outside. It can be an excellent indicator of whether or not the tornado is close. Obviously, if you see one near you, you should take shelter immediately. A loud road is a clear indication of a tornado. Shelter now!
While a green sky can indicate a tornado is approaching, that’s not always the case. It might mean a thunderstorm is your only risk, as it signifies a cloud being much taller than normal. Still, it’s better to play it safe, so anticipate a tornado whenever you see a dark green sky.
Your local news station should be covering developments in the storm constantly. Even if you have to listen to the television from a different room, having it on so you know what’s going on is better than nothing.
5. Clear the Lawn
If you catch wind of a tornado watch in your area, you should clear off your lawn and driveway as these items can be picked up by the wind and used to batter your house. If you have anything not anchored to the ground or that is unsteady, put it in your home or garage if it’s safe to do so. Even something as innocuous as lawn ornaments can be picked up by a tornado and turned into ammunition. Consider removing them during tornado season.
Other things, like an outdoor garbage can or recycle bin, might seem like they can’t be moved, but if you can bring them inside your garage, then why not.
The bottom line: take a look around your yard and determine what, if anything, can be picked up and moved by a tornado? If it can be dealt with beforehand then do so; if it’s unsafe for you to be out, leave it be.
6. Know the Risks
Every tornado threat should be taken seriously. You never know when it could develop into a more severe storm, so it’s best to prepare for the worst as with any disaster scenario.
Around 100 people die from tornadoes on average each year. While that number doesn’t seem particularly alarming, you should take mortality statistics seriously because that could be you one day if you don’t take such threats seriously.
Some structures are more susceptible than others. Tornadoes can wreck mobile homes, in particular, and do extensive damage to houses without a solid foundation.
By knowing the genuine risks of a tornado, especially to your specific situation, you can educate yourself and potentially mitigate the risks.
7. Evaluate for the Future
Reevaluate the techniques you used to weather the storm after it’s passed. How did the location you sheltered in work for your household? Would you continue to use it during another tornado? My guess is that, yes, you would since you survived. If not, it’s time for you to look for a new shelter and prepare it for another emergency. If so, then just restock everything you had in your preparation box so it’s ready for another round.
Did your family members understand the plan you laid out? Sometimes things can be miscommunicated, which can potentially endanger you or others. Make it a point to work toward clearer disaster preparedness goals so everyone in your household understands.
Did you like how you responded to the disaster? If not, you can always make small improvements.
Stay Prepared in the Face of Disaster
When you’re faced with disaster, you can either buckle or stand strong. Surviving is what you were built to do. Deadly tornadoes are terrifying, but once you know how to face them, you can share the wealth and teach others around you how to be safe. Working with your community builds a stronger foundation of people who take care of one another. Together, you can weather any storm.
[Note: This was a guest post.]
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