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| Earlier this week, several tornadoes ripped through Arkansas leaving behind a path of damaged homes and injuries. This got Unprepared Ursula thinking, and Team Preparedness is once again coming to her rescue. Here are tornado safety tips to keep you safe this spring. |
How can I protect myself from a tornado?
•The safest place to be is an underground shelter, basement or safe room. If no underground shelter or safe room is available, a small, windowless interior room or hallway on the lowest level of a sturdy building is the safest alternative.
•Mobile homes are not safe during tornadoes or other severe winds. If you have access to a sturdy shelter or a vehicle, abandon your mobile home immediately.
•Go to the nearest sturdy building or shelter immediately, using your seat belt if driving.
•If you are caught outdoors, seek shelter in a basement, shelter or sturdy building. If you cannot quickly walk to a shelter, immediately get into a vehicle, buckle your seat belt and try to drive to the closest sturdy shelter.
•If flying debris occurs while you are driving, pull over and park. Now you have the following options as a last resort: Stay in the car with the seat belt on. Put your head down below the windows, covering with your hands and a blanket if possible. Or, if you can safely get noticeably lower than the level of the roadway, exit your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands.
What should I do after a tornado?
•Continue listening to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio for updated information and instructions.
•If you are away from home, return only when authorities say it is safe to do so.
•Wear long pants, a long sleeved shirt and sturdy shoes when examining your walls, doors, staircases and windows for damage.
•Watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines and report them to the utility company immediately.
•Stay out of damaged buildings.
•Use battery powered flashlights when examining buildings—do NOT use candles.
•If you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and get everyone out of the building quickly and call the gas company or fire department.
•Take pictures of damage, both of the building and its contents, for insurance claims.
•Use the telephone only for emergency calls.
•Keep all of your animals under your direct control.
•Clean up spilled medications, bleaches, gasoline or other flammable liquids that could become a fire hazard.
•Check for injuries. If you are trained, provide first aid to persons in need until emergency responders arrive.
Do you know the difference between tornado fact and fiction?
Fiction: Areas near lakes, rivers, and mountains are safe from tornadoes.
Facts: No place is safe from tornadoes. In 1987, a tornado near Yellowstone National Park left a path of destruction up and down a 10,000-foot mountain, crossing the Continental Divide. The Tri-state tornado of March 18 1925 crossed the Mississippi river undeterred. The Salt Lake City tornado of August 11, 1999 crossed a canyon, descending one side and rising up the other.
Fiction: The low pressure associated with a tornado causes buildings to “explode” as the tornado passes overhead.
Facts: Air pressure in a tornado does not cause buildings to explode. Buildings are damaged by violent winds associated with a tornado and by the debris blown at high velocities by a tornado’s winds.
For more information, check out these available resources:
►Country superstar, Sara Evans talks about tornado preparedness in this
short video
Kathrine
Kathrine Vigil is the AmeriCorps NPRC Response Member for the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter.