Back Media Note: Red Cross disaster safety experts available for interview opportunities. ST. LOUIS (Wednesday, December 18, 2002)–The St. Louis Area Chapter offers the following tips to help residents remain safe during tornadoes. Prepare a Home Tornado Plan • Pick a place where family members can gather if a tornado is headed your way. It should be your basement or, if there is no basement, a center hallway, bathroom, or closet on the lowest floor. Keep this place uncluttered. • If you are in a high-rise building, you may not have enough time to go to the lowest floor. Pick a place in a hallway in the center of the building. Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit Containing: • First Aid kit and essential medications. • Canned food and can opener. • At least three gallons of water per person. • Protective clothing, bedding, or sleeping bags. • Battery-powered radio, flashlight, and extra batteries. • Special items for infant, elderly, or disabled family members. • Written instructions on how to turn off electricity, gas, and water if authorities advise you to do so. (Remember, you'll need a professional to turn natural gas service back on.) Stay Tuned for Storm Warnings • Listen to your local radio and TV stations for updated storm information. • Know what a tornado WATCH and WARNING means: • A tornado WATCH means a tornado is possible in your area. • A tornado WARNING means a tornado has been sighted and may be headed for your area. Go to your safe place immediately. • Tornado WATCHES and WARNINGS are issued by county. When a Tornado WATCH Is Issued... • Listen to local radio and TV stations for further updates. • Be alert to changing weather conditions. Blowing debris or the sound of an approaching tornado may alert you. Many people say it sounds like a freight train. When a Tornado WARNING Is Issued... • If you are inside, go to the safe place you picked to protect yourself from glass and other flying objects. The tornado may be approaching your area. • If you are outside, hurry to the basement of a nearby sturdy building or lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area. • If you are in a car or mobile home, get out immediately and head for safety (as above). After the Tornado Passes... • Watch out for fallen power lines and stay out of the damaged area. • Listen to the radio for information and instructions. • Use a flashlight to inspect your home for damage. • Do not use candles at any time. The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter offers a variety of safety presentations and materials to help residents prepare for and remain safe during a natural and man-made disasters, including tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. All disaster education materials are available free of charge and can be tailored to help a variety of age groups from school children to seniors. For additional information on disaster preparedness and to learn how to keep your loved ones safe, visit www.redcrossstl.org. To schedule a Red Cross community disaster education presentation for a school or civic group or to request a safety brochures call Mike Thiemann at 314-516-2753. All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. To help Red Cross disaster relief efforts in your community, contributions can be made to the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter, 10195 Corporate Square, St. Louis, MO 63132, online at www.redcrossstl.org or by calling (314) 516-2800. About the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter Founded in 1917, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter provides emergency and preparedness assistance more than 354,000 times to St. Louis-area residents each year. The Red Cross depends on the efforts of 14,700 volunteers and 150 staff to provide a wide range of community support services, including disaster relief, first aid and CPR training, water safety, adult daytime professional care, services to military personnel, assistance to homeless families, and support for blood services. The Chapter provides programs and services to St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jefferson County in Missouri, as well as St. Clair and Monroe Counties, and part of Madison County in Illinois.

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