Staying Safe in a Tornado

"To stay safe during a tornado, prepare a plan and an emergency kit, stay aware of weather conditions during thunderstorms, know the best places to shelter both indoors and outdoors, and always protect your head.

Tornadoes continue to impact locations across the country every year, bringing massive winds and destruction in their paths.

The 2016 tornado season claimed the lives of 18 individuals and injured another 325. Seventy-eight percent of those victims were in a mobile home or trailer park at the time of the tornado. These storms caused an estimated $183 million in property damage.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA)External there is no guaranteed safety during a tornado. Even the possibility of a tornado must be taken seriously. Although the most violent tornadoes can level and blow away almost any house and those within it, extremely violent EF5 tornadoes are very rare. Most tornadoes are much weaker. You can survive a tornado if you follow safety precautions. Here are three important tips to help keep you safe.

TIP ❶: Be prepared.

The best way to stay safe during a tornado is to be prepared with:

• fresh batteries and a battery-operated TV, radio, or internet-enabled device to listen to the latest emergency weather information;
• a tornado emergency plan including access to a “safe shelter” for yourself and for people with special needs;
• an emergency kit (including water, non-perishable food, and medication); and
• a list of important information, including telephone numbers.

Be sure your children know what a tornado is, what tornado watches and warnings are, what county or parish they live in (warnings are issued by county or parish), and what makes a location a “safe shelter,” whether at home or at school..."
Tornadoes

Staying Safe in a Tornado

"On April 27, 2011, a series of deadly tornadoes destroyed parts of Tuscaloosa, Cullman, Birmingham and rural communities in northwest Alabama killing 247 people[498 KB] and nearly injuring 1,400. Nearly a month later, a monster tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri, killing 161 residents. In 2013, Oklahoma experienced back-to-back tornado events; the deadliest was in Moore, OK where 25 people died and almost 400 were injured.        

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) there is no guaranteed safety during a tornado. Indeed, we must take seriously even the possibility of a tornado. Although the most violent tornadoes can level and blow away almost any house and those within it, extremely violent EF5 tornadoes are very rare. Most tornadoes are much weaker. You can survive a tornado if you follow safety precautions. Here are three important tips to help keep you safe.

Make sure you and your loved ones know what constitutes a “safe shelter.”

TIP ❶: Be prepared.

The best way to stay safe during a tornado is to be prepared with:

•  fresh batteries and a battery-operated TV, radio, or internet-enabled device to listen to the latest emergency weather information;
• a tornado emergency plan including access to a "safe shelter" for yourself and for people with special needs;
• an emergency kit (including water, non-perishable food, and medication); and
• a list of important information, including telephone numbers..."
  Tornadoes

Staying safe in a tornado

"To stay safe during a tornado, prepare a plan and emergency kit, stay aware of weather conditions during thunderstorms, know the best places to shelter both indoors and outdoors, and always protect your head..."
Tornado safety

Tornadoes.... Nature's Most Violent Storms

Tornado safety tips from the National Weather Service.

Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes in the United States
"...Congress attempted to clarify the federal role in mitigating damages from windstorms (including tornadoes and thunderstorms) by passing the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-360). It is not evident whether the program made progress toward its objective:achievement of major measurable reductions in the losses of life and property from windstorms. Authorization for the program expired at the end of FY2008. In the 112th Congress, legislation introduced in the Senate (S. 646) and in the House (H.R. 1379) would reauthorize the wind hazards program (Title II) through FY2015. Similar legislation was passed by the House in the
111th Congress, but no action was taken by the Senate.

It is not clear whether changes to climate over the past half-century have increased the frequency or intensity of thunderstorms and tornadoes, or were responsible for the intense and destructive tornado activity in April and May of 2011. An issue for Congress is whether future climate change linked to increases in greenhouse gas emissions will lead to more frequent and more intense thunderstorms and tornadoes, and whether efforts by Congress to mitigate long-term climate change will reduce potential future losses from thunderstorms and tornadoes..."

2011 Tornado Information
Track tornadoes this season at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Tornado
information Center.

3 Ways for Tornado Survivors to Apply for Assistance
"The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is working hard to provide shelter, food, and water for people whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged by tornadoes last week.
If you need help, there are three ways to apply for assistance:

Register online at www.disasterassistance.gov
Register through a web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov
Call 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

If you are in touch with anyone affected by the tornadoes, please share this information with them.."