Tornadoes are frightening realities. We can't prevent them or even predict where or when they will strike. Many of us aren't sure what we should do during a tornado.  Even if you are at home, you can't always rely on weather reports to warn you of an approaching tornado, because conditions change so quickly. Tornadoes can occur without warning, or you may be out of range of emergency sirens.

That's why it's important to be alert to changing weather, using broadcast information along with your own senses and experience to know when to take cover. You and your family must make a family emergency kit so you're prepared for any situation.

 

 

Tornado Survival Kit

The Office of Emergency Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommend you self-equip with everything on their list.  Prepare 4 Disaster offers various pre-packaged kits that contain a large number of products on their lists.  Here is a list of suggested kits:

Below is an outline of what you would need if you planned on creating your own kit.  The kit, kept in a durable container, should include:

1. WATER - Plan on using one gallon of water per person per day. Store three gallons of water for each person and pet (72 hour supply). Also, pack purification tablets or chlorine bleach to purify drinking water from other sources. Emergency water may be obtained from water heaters, melted ice cubes, toilet tanks (the back part of toilets where the mechanism is located), and canned vegetables.

Avoid drinking water from swimming pools or especially spas - it may have too many chemicals in it to be safe.

2. FOOD - Store at least a three-day (72 hour supply) supply of non-perishable food. It's best to have enough canned and dried foods sufficient for a week for each member of your household. Note: both water and food stores should be replaced every so often to maintain freshness. Canned goods have a normal shelf-life of one year for maximum freshness.

3. FIRST AID KIT AND HANDBOOK - Have two copies of each, one for your home and one for your car.
 

4. MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS - Vital stuff you won't miss until you realize it's unobtainable. Your emergency tools should consist of:
 

Prepare 4 Disaster Suggested Products
Item Number	Product Description
C-77	Solar, Dynamo, Battery Radio
L-77G	Solar Powered Flashlight
T22	Utility Knife
EE30	Fire Extinguisher 16 Oz.
C-89S	Compass-Whistle 5 In 1
L21	Waterproof Matches
C-66M	Mighty Mite Bull Horn-Signal Device
T22B	14-In-One Pocket Tool
T888	Gas Shut Off Tool
T889	Gas-Water Shut Off Tool
T221	Nylon Rope – 50 Feet
LH001	Portable Camp Stove with Fuel Tablets

5. CLOTHING & BEDDING – Hotels may not have vacancy during a disaster. You may be required to sleep in your vehicle. Pack protective clothing, rainwear, and bedding or sleeping bags in your kit, as well as extra blankets and heavy clothing, including rubber-soled shoes and work gloves.

6. MEDICINE AND SPECIAL ITEMS - Keep adequate supplies for babies, the elderly or disabled and others with special needs.

7. COPIES of important papers should be kept in a fireproof container or a safe deposit box with a key you always carry.

8.  CASH – You should save some amount of cash to have in your emergency kits.  During a power outage ATM machines may not be available.

Making Preparations and Securing Your Home

Tornado Watch

A Tornado Watch simply means that conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop. In this case you should take precautions to protect you and your property, and listen to the radio to keep informed.

Tornadoes are most likely to occur in the late afternoon on a hot spring day. However, tornadoes have occurred in every month at all times of the day or night. When a tornado watch is issued, be alert for changes in the weather and be prepared to act quickly. On average, 770 tornadoes are reported annually in the United States.

When a tornado WATCH is in effect you can take certain precautions to lessen danger.  Move cars inside a garage or carport, if possible, to avoid damage from hail that often accompanies severe storms. Keep your car keys and house keys with you. Move lawn furniture and yard equipment such as lawnmowers inside if time permits. Otherwise they could become damaged or act as dangerous projectiles, causing serious injury or damage.

Tornado Warning

Tornado Warning means that a tornado has actually been sighted. Realize that tornadoes can be deadly and devastating storms, with winds up to 260 miles per hour. If one is issued for your area, seek shelter immediately! There is little time for closing windows or hunting for flashlights. It's a good idea to know where things are, and to have an emergency storm kit already prepared.

When a tornado WARNING has been issued on the radio or by siren, seek shelter immediately!

Purchase a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio with battery backup and tone-alert feature which automatically alerts you when a Watch or Warning is issued. Or simply purchase a battery-powered commercial radio, and extra batteries. Whichever you use, make sure from time to time that you know where the radio is, that it still works, and that all the batteries are still good.

Make sure you know the names of the towns and counties in which you live and work. They are used during both tornado warnings and watches to identify the area of potential tornadoes. Keep a good, easy-to-read map in your car if you travel frequently, one that clearly details names of counties as well as towns.

Important Reminders

• The best protection during a tornado is in an interior room on the lowest level of a building, preferably a safe room.
• Tornadoes strike with incredible velocity. Wind speeds may approach 320 miles per hour. These winds can uproot trees and structures and turn harmless objects into deadly missiles, all in a matter of seconds. Mobile homes are particularly vulnerable to tornadoes.
• Injury or deaths related to tornadoes most often occur when buildings collapse, people are hit by flying objects or are caught trying to escape the tornado in a car.
• Tornadoes are most destructive when they touch ground. Normally a tornado will stay on the ground for no more than 20 minutes; however, one tornado can touch ground several times in different areas.
• Tornadoes can occur practically anywhere, but are most prevalent in the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest. The states of Oklahoma, South Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas are at greatest risk.
• Learn the warning signals used in your community. If a siren sounds, that means stay inside and take cover. 
• Consider setting up a neighborhood information program through a club, church group or community group. Hold briefings on safety procedures as tornado season approaches. Set up a system to make sure senior citizens and shut-ins are alerted if there is a tornado warning. 
• Make a complete inventory of your possessions for insurance purposes. Keep that list in a bank safe deposit box or other safe place away from your home. 
• Conduct drills with your family in the home; make sure each member knows the correct procedures if they are at work or school when a tornado hits.

   

During a Tornado

When a tornado has been sighted in your immediate area take the following actions:

At Home

Go at once to your predetermined shelter (the basement, storm cellar, or the lowest level of the building). Stay there until the danger has passed.  If there is no basement, go to an inner hallway or a small inner room without windows, such as a bathroom or closet. Use a smaller room, one with four walls preferably, like a bathroom or walk-in closet. Try to use an area that is adjacent to a load bearing wall.

However much you want to see the storm, stay away from all windows, doors, and outside walls.

Go directly to the center of the room. Stay away from corners because they tend to attract debris. Get under a piece of sturdy furniture such as a workbench or heavy table and hold on to it for all you're worth.  Use sofa cushions or your arms to protect your head and neck.

If in a mobile home, get out and seek shelter elsewhere. A mobile home can overturn very easily even if precautions have been taken to tie down the unit. If there isn't a substantial shelter nearby, seek shelter in a low-lying area. Use your arms to protect your head and neck.

Public Buildings (School, Hospital, Factory, Shopping Center, etc.)

Go to the basement or to an inside hallway, a small, interior room, or a bathroom or closet on the lowest possible level.  Avoid places with wide-span roofs such as auditoriums, cafeterias, gymnasiums, and large hallways.  Stay away from windows and open spaces.  Get under a piece of sturdy furniture such as a workbench or heavy table or desk and hold on to it.

Outdoors

If possible, get inside a substantial building.  If shelter is not available or there is no time to get indoors, lie in a ditch, culvert, or low-lying area or crouch near a strong building. Use your arms to protect your head and neck. Be alert for potential flash flooding.

In A Vehicle

Never try to outrun a tornado in a vehicle. Heavy rain, hail, and traffic may impede your movement, and tornadoes can travel as quickly as 70mph over dry land. Tornadoes can quickly change directions and can easily lift up a vehicle and toss it through the air.  Pull to the side of the road avoiding trees, power lines and other objects that could fall or be hazardous.  Get out of the vehicle immediately and try to take shelter in a nearby building.

If there isn't time to get indoors, get out of the vehicle and lie in a ditch, culvert, or low-lying area away from the vehicle. Use your arms to protect your head and neck.

 

After a Tornado

• Check people around you for injuries. Begin first aid or seek help if necessary. Always cooperate with local officials.
• Check utility lines and appliances for damage. If you smell gas, open the windows and turn off the main valve. Don't turn on lights or appliances until the gas has dissipated. If electric wires are shorting out, turn off the power.
• When you go outside, watch for downed power lines.
• Notify your insurance agent and provide as much detail as possible about damage to your property. Follow the agent's directions on filing your claim. Take photos or videotape the damage to your home or property.
• Take steps to protect your home and furniture from further damage:
  • Clean and dry your furniture, bedding, rugs and carpeting as soon as possible.
  • Board up windows and holes in the walls or roof.
• Use the telephone only for emergency calls.