Tornadoes: Be Prepared

Living in the Midwest, we receive tornado warnings and watches about once a week. Knowing what to do and not do could mean the difference between surviving and injury.

Watches and Warnings

A watch means that conditions are right in your area. Not that one has been spotted, but your area is being watched for the possibility of a tornado forming.

A warning means that a tornado has been spotted and may be in your area. You need to be aware of how close it is to you and be ready to take action.

Know your area

Tornadoes occur more in some areas than others. You need to be aware if you live in a higher incident area like Tornado Alley.

Tornado Alley is a group of states that have a high rate of tornado occurrence. These states include Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri.

Prepare an emergency kit

This kit should have everything you need to survive in case of a natural emergency. Sometimes, you can get these kits from your local Red Cross.

A good kit should include: a first aid kit, canned food and opener; 3 gallons of bottled water per family member; battery powered radio, flashlight, and extra batteries. You can put together a kit and put it in a plastic shoebox.

Plan ahead where your family should go when at home. Pick the safest room or closet if you don't have a basement. This should be an interior room without any windows. Keep it clear for easy access.

If you live in a mobile home, find a neighbor's house or other secure building that you can evacuate to. Even if a mobile home is safely tied down, it is not a safe place to be if a tornado hits. If you don't have another place to go, leave the mobile home and take cover in a ditch or culvert.

Tornado unknowns

You never know in what direction a tornado is going to head. These are natural phenomena and Mother Nature is in control. We can predict all we want, but there's no guarantee.

You never know when or if a tornado is going to develop. Conditions can be perfect, but a tornado never occurs. You just have to be alert during watches.

Do not use heavy rain or large hail to alert you to a tornado. A tornado can strike without any hail or with light rain.

If you are ever in a tornado, wait at least 10 minutes before leaving your safe place. Tornadoes can linger or be only one in a series. You don't want to walk out in the middle.

The sound of a tornado varies by who you talk to and how close they were to the actual tornado. Most people describe it as a loud freight train type sound. Really, it depends on the are the tornado is going through. In a more wooded area, tornadoes can have more of a whistle as it blows through tree leaves.

The biggest myth about tornadoes has got to be opening the windows to equalize the pressure. I remember back in grade school doing this during drills. Closed windows will open when a tornado hits, the wind and debris will kindly shatter any glass in its path. If a tornado is about to hit your house, please, don't worry about opening the windows. It doesn't make any difference.

My friends and family use to call me paranoid because I would keep an eye on weather reports during tornado watches and had a plan in case one struck. That is, until 3 touched down in a town less than 5 miles away. My sister was in one of the tornadoes that ripped the wall off of a store she was in.

Now, my family doesn't think I'm so paranoid.