When a tornado is coming, you have only a short amount of time to make life-or-death decisions. Advance planning and quick response are the keys to surviving a tornado.
Before:
- Conduct tornado drills each tornado season.
- Designate an area in the home as a shelter, and practice having everyone in the family go there in response to a tornado threat.
- Discuss with family members the difference between a "tornado watch" and a "tornado warning."
- Contact your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter for more information on tornadoes.
Have disaster supplies on hand:
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries
- First-aid kit and manual
- Emergency food and water
- Non-electric can opener
- Essential medicines
- Cash and credit cards
- Sturdy shoes
Develop an emergency communication plan:
- In case family members are separated from one another during a tornado (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school), have a plan for getting back together.
- Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the "family contact."
- After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance.
- Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address, and phone number of the contact person.
Tornado Watches and Warnings:
- A tornado watch is issued by the National Weather Service when tornadoes are possible in your area.
- Remain alert for approaching storms.
- This is time to remind family members where the safest places within your home are located, and listen to the radio or television for further developments.
- A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar.
Mobile Homes:
- Mobile homes are particularly vulnerable.
- A mobile home can overturn very easily even if precautions have been taken to tie down the unit.
- When a tornado warning is issued, take shelter in a building with a strong foundation.
- If shelter is not available, lie in ditch or low-lying area a safe distance away from the unit.
Tornado Danger Signs:
Learn these tornado danger signs:
- An approaching cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel is not visible.
- Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become very still.
- Tornadoes generally occur near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm.
- It is not uncommon to see clear, sunlit skies behind a tornado.
During:
If at home:
- Go at once to a windowless, interior room; storm cellar; basement; or lowest level of the building.
- If there is no basement, go to an inner hallway or a smaller inner room without windows, such as a bathroom or closet.
- Get away from the windows.
- Go 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 or desk and hold on to it.
- Use arms to protect head and neck.
- If in a mobile home, get out and find shelter elsewhere.
If at work or school:
- Go to the basement or to an inside hallway at the lowest level.
- Avoid places with wide-span roofs such as auditoriums, cafeterias, large hallways, or shopping malls.
- Get under a piece of sturdy furniture such as a workbench or heavy table or desk and hold on to it.
- Use arms to protect head and neck.
If outdoors:
- If possible, get inside a building.
- If shelter is not available or there is no time to get indoors, lie in a ditch or low-lying area or crouch near a strong building.
- Be aware of the potential for flooding.
- Use arms to protect head and neck.
If in a car:
- Never try to outdrive a tornado in a car or truck.
- Tornadoes can change direction quickly and can lift up a car or truck and toss it through the air.
- Get out of the car immediately and take shelter in a nearby building.
- If there is no time to get indoors, get out of the car and lie in a ditch or low-lying area away from the vehicle.
- Be aware of the potential for flooding.
After:
Help injured or trapped persons:
- Give first aid when appropriate.
- Don't try to move the seriously injured unless they are in immediate danger of further injury.
- Call for help.
- Turn on radio or television to get the latest emergency information.
- Stay out of damaged buildings.
- Return home only when authorities say it is safe.
- Use the telephone only for emergency calls.
- Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches, or gasoline or other flammable liquids immediately.
- Leave the buildings if you smell gas or chemical fumes.
- Take pictures of the damage--both to the house and its contents--for insurance purposes.
- Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance--infants, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
Inspecting Utilities in a Damaged Home:
- Check for gas leaks--If you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and quickly leave the building.
- Turn off the gas at the outside main valve if you can and call the gas company from a neighbor's home.
- If you turn off the gas for any reason, it must be turned back on by a professional.
- Look for electrical system damage--If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or if you smell hot insulation, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit breaker.
- If you have to step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker, call an electrician first for advice.
- Check for sewage and water lines damage--If you suspect sewage lines are damaged, avoid using toilets and call a plumber.
- If water pipes are damaged, contact the water company and avoid using water from the tap.
- You can obtain safe water by melting ice cubes.
Mitigation:
- Mitigation includes any activities that prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or lessen the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies.
- Investing in preventive mitigation steps now, such as checking local building codes and ordinances about wind-resistant designs and strengthening unreinforced masonry, will help reduce the impact of tornadoes in the future.
- For more information on mitigation, contact your local emergency management office.
Fujita - Pearson Tornado Scale
- F-0: 40-72 mph, chimney damage, tree branches broken
- F-1: 73-112 mph, mobile homes pushed off foundation or overturned
- F-2: 113-157 mph, considerable damage, mobile homes demolished, trees uprooted
- F-3: 158-205 mph, roofs and walls torn down, trains overturned, cars thrown
- F-4: 207-260 mph, well-constructed walls leveled
- F-5: 261-318 mph, homes lifted off foundation and carried considerable distances, autos thrown as far as 100 meters.