Tornado safety plans

[RustyBourneHorse]

With spring time approaching, this is a good time to check your safety plans for what you plan to do should a tornado warning be issues in your area. Given how cold it has been across the country, there's a chance that this severe weather season could be a problem. So, here are a few things I've done and will be doing as part of my tornado safety plans (and yes, we sometimes get tornadoes in Cleveland).

• Get a weather radio - I got one last year, and it helped. We had either a tornado or a microburst hit near my apartment in the fall, and, if not for the weather radio (especially since we don't have sirens were I live), I wouldn't have known I was possibly in danger. Yes, your phone might have warning on it, but nothing beats a good weather radio that's both wire and battery powered.
• Weather radio test - I did a test of my weather radio alert. It automatically does one every Wednesday around 11 if there's no severe weather at that time. But, I did a manual test of it yesterday just to test it again.
• Check your shelters - make sure you have a good spot or spots where you and your family can go should a tornado warning be issued. Additionally, should a tornado emergency be issued for a tornado that's already violent, make sure you know where to go if there might be a violent tornado that exceeds the capabilities of your own shelter. Know where to go, and have a plan for at what point you will go to it or at what point you'll just have to work with what you've got. Make sure your tornado shelter is clean and has minimal objects that can harm you should a tornado strike.
• Do a tornado drill - I'm planning on doing a tornado drill with my roommate in the next week or two, which I have done yearly since Texas and especially having lived one year in Kansas City. Basically, I'm going to firstly inform him that within the next 24 hours, the drill will be taking place. Then, at a time where we are together, I'm going to hit the alarm test button to signal the start of the drill. From the time that I hit the button, we have 60 seconds to take shelter and get into our brace positions. This is to make sure that, should a tornado spawn close by or should it be clear that we have a tornado approaching, you may not have more than 60 seconds to take cover and brace. Having such a drill ensures your ability to know what to do should that situation strike.

By having these measures in place, you can increase your chances of surviving a tornado. What other things do you do to prepare for tornado season?

 

[Hardline]

Great information. I practically live in tornado ally. Fortunately for me I've never actually seen one.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

Great information. I practically live in tornado ally. Fortunately for me I've never actually seen one.

I've seen more than I'd like lol, and tornadoes scare me lol. My three biggest fears are tornadoes, hurricanes, and nukes. Plus, I know the DFW area gets a lot, so this may be good info for zoners that live in the strike zone.

 

[nobody]

I watched one a mile from my house. I've also seen a funnel cloud pass right overhead but that one didn't touch ground until several miles after it passed over my head. I've lived in tornado country 99% of my life.

Good information about keeping prepared, but it's not something to lose sleep over. Make sure your family knows the drill. It's the late night ones that are the true killers because they hit when people are asleep or they aren't noticed because it's too dark.

Get yourself a 6-gallon BPA free water container and put it in your shelter room as well as a small amount of non-perishable food enough for a day or two (Make sure they are SECURE and unable to be blown around). Don't go overboard on the drills. Just know the plan, practice it once, and don't panic. Panicking is what gets people in trouble. If you live in an upstairs apartment, your current plan sucks. Get to know your downstairs neighbors well enough that they'd quickly let you in during a tornado warning. Also, don't try to "save" anything like memorabilia, etc. Just you and pets (good luck with cats.)

Remember again: Never panic. Don't fear the act of nature. It simply is a part of life. Prepare and relax. Best way to handle it.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I watched one a mile from my house. I've also seen a funnel cloud pass right overhead but that one didn't touch ground until several miles after it passed over my head. I've lived in tornado country 99% of my life.

Good information about keeping prepared, but it's not something to lose sleep over. Make sure your family knows the drill. It's the late night ones that are the true killers because they hit when people are asleep or they aren't noticed because it's too dark.

Get yourself a 6-gallon BPA free water container and put it in your shelter room as well as a small amount of non-perishable food enough for a day or two (Make sure they are SECURE and unable to be blown around). Don't go overboard on the drills. Just know the plan, practice it once, and don't panic. Panicking is what gets people in trouble. If you live in an upstairs apartment, your current plan sucks. Get to know your downstairs neighbors well enough that they'd quickly let you in during a tornado warning. Also, don't try to "save" anything like memorabilia, etc. Just you and pets (good luck with cats.)

Remember again: Never panic. Don't fear the act of nature. It simply is a part of life. Prepare and relax. Best way to handle it.

For sure, and that's where it helps to know what you're going to do and to annually check and evaluate your tornado safety plans.

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

Living in central Oklahoma gotta give the local meteorologists credit staying on top of their storm coverage. Had a F1 skip over the house in June/98, still was as loud as a train and shook the walls. Family members in Moore were on the edge of the F5 that hit Moore Oklahoma in May/99. Never forget going over there and seeing a refrigerator up in a tree in their backyard. Also driving through neighborhoods where is a nothing left but slabs of cement where houses used to be.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

Living in central Oklahoma gotta give the local meteorologists credit staying on top of their storm coverage. Had a F1 skip over the house in June/98, still was as loud as a train and shook the walls. Family members in Moore were on the edge of the F5 that hit Moore Oklahoma in May/99. Never forget going over there and seeing a refrigerator up in a tree in their backyard. Also driving through neighborhoods where is a nothing left but slabs of cement where houses used to be.

No doubt. That would be terrifying having a tornado that close. And the Moore tornadoes must have been terrifying too.