Full Notification

Plan for a Tornado
Develop a Family Disaster Plan. Tornado–specific planning
should include the following:
• Learn about your tornado risk. While severe tornadoes are more frequent in the Plains States, tornadoes have happened in every state. Contact your local emergency management office, local National Weather Service office, or American Red Cross chapter for more information on tornadoes.
• Pick a safe place in your home where family members could
gather during a tornado. The safest place to be is underground, or as
low to the ground as possible, and away from all windows. If you have
a basement, make it your safe place. If you do not have a basement,
consider an interior hallway or room on the lowest floor. Putting as
many walls as you can between you and the outside will provide additional protection. Less than 2 percent of all tornadoes are powerful enough to completely destroy a sturdy building. Make sure there are no windows or glass doors in your safe place and keep this place uncluttered.
• Consider having your tornado safe place reinforced. Additional
reinforcement will add more protection from the damaging effects of
tornado winds. Get more information from FEMA about building a tornado safe room.
• If you are in a high-rise building, pick a place in a hallway in the
center of the building. You may not have enough time to go to the
lowest floor. Center hallways are often structurally the most reinforced
part of a building.
• If you live in a mobile home, choose a safe place in a nearby
sturdy building. A sturdy building provides greater protection. If your
mobile home park has a designated shelter, make it your safe place.
Mobile homes are much more vulnerable to strong winds than site-built structures. Prior to 1994, most manufactured homes were not designed to withstand even moderate winds.
• Discuss how you would be warned of an approaching tornado.
Different communities have different ways of providing warnings. Many communities have sirens intended for outdoor warning purposes. Use a NOAA Weather Radio with a tone-alert feature to keep you aware of watches and warnings while you are indoors. Learn about your community’s warning system. Make sure all family members know the name of the county or parish where you live or are traveling, because tornado watches and warnings are issued for a county or parish by name.
• Learn about your community’s warning system. Different communities have different ways of providing warnings. Many communities have sirens intended for outdoor warning purposes. Use a NOAA Weather Radio with a tone-alert feature to keep you aware of watches and warnings while you are indoors.
• Conduct periodic tornado drills, so everyone remembers what to
do when a tornado is approaching. Practice having everyone in the
family go to your designated area in response to a tornado threat.
Practicing your plan makes the appropriate response more of a reaction, requiring less thinking time during an actual emergency situation.
• Check with your work and your children’s schools and day care
centers to learn tornado emergency plans. Every building has different safe places. It is important to know where they are and how to get there in an emergency.
• Discuss tornadoes with your family. Everyone should know what to
do in case all family members are not together. Discussing disaster
ahead of time helps reduce fear and lets everyone know how to respond during a tornado.

Instructions:

***This is a Drill, This is a Drill***SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY AND AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE IS NECESSARY**This is a Drill, This is a Drill***