ATLANTA– ATLANTA (AP) — Record heat this winter fueled a deadly tornado outbreak in parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas in March. Then, tornadoes killed several people and injured at least 35 others in Iowa. Recent tornadoes have even hit places that aren’t used to them, like the one near Los Angeles in 2023 that destroyed roofs and injured one person.
When a tornado targets your home, sirens blare, dogs bark and children scream, some last-minute precautions could save your life and the lives of your loved ones.
But experts also recommend a few simple steps to prepare well before the tornado arrives at your doorstep. Here are some tornado safety tips:
Weather radios, specialized receivers that receive alerts and can sound an alarm in an emergency, are something every home and business should have, said Rick Smith, alert coordination meteorologist at the United States forecast office. National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
“It looks like old-fashioned technology, but these are life-saving devices,” Smith said.
Radios can be especially useful in the South, where many tornadoes strike at night, when people are asleep. “It can wake you up in the middle of the night with the alarm,” Smith said.
The National Weather Service encourages people to have multiple ways to be notified, including weather radios, a cell phone app or other methods in the event of a power outage. Redundancy of methods is key, Smith said.
Ideal places to shelter are underground, enclosed shelters and basements, or a safe room above ground designed to withstand tornadic winds.
But many people don’t have that option: In Oklahoma, for example, clay soil makes building basements expensive, so many homes don’t have them.
If you have to be on the surface during a tornado, “your goal is to put as many walls and barriers between you and the outside as possible,” Smith said.
Smith recommends using mattresses, sofa cushions or other sturdy objects to protect yourself from deadly flying or falling debris. Cycling or sports helmets can provide crucial head protection, and they can be stored in a convenient location, away from a common misconception: “There’s still a portion of people who think you’re supposed to open doors and windows to equalize the security level. pressure,” Smith said.
It’s also important that they’re ready when you only have minutes or seconds to prepare. A car seat can help protect a small child, Smith says, and can be brought inside in advance.
Recent research has shown that closing your home’s garage door and all interior doors could mitigate high winds somewhat by compartmentalizing them, according to Smith. This is recommended during thunderstorms and tornadoes by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.
This is the opposite of a common misconception: “There is still a portion of people who think you have to open doors and windows to equalize the pressure,” Smith said.
It’s also important to prepare for tornado aftermath, when you might emerge from a home or shelter to find downed trees, power lines and shredded buildings. Dress for disaster, such as wearing long pants and sturdy shoes, to help navigate safely through dangerous terrain.
An emergency kit containing essentials like drinking water and non-perishable food is also a good idea.
With the threat of strong tornadoes predicted once again for Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas on Saturday, weather services urged people to have emergency supplies, know where their safe places are and have a family communication plan.
Smith plans to answer questions about how to take shelter while driving, since the trailer for the upcoming Hollywood movie “Twisters” shows the characters sprinting toward a highway underpass as a tornado approaches.
If you’re in a car or truck, “you really don’t have a lot of good options at this point,” Smith said. “Try not to get caught in this situation.”
The best thing to do is get off the road and try to find a building. If there is nowhere to go, there are no safe and guaranteed options.
When it comes to ditches, overpasses or staying inside a car, “people have survived doing all that, people have died doing all that,” Smith said. “I saw cars rolled up into unrecognizable balls of metal.”
ABC News
