What Should You Do If A Tornado Is Approaching?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

Go

to the basement or an inside room without windows on

the lowest floor (bathroom, closet, center hallway). If possible, avoid sheltering in a room with windows. For added protection get under something sturdy (a heavy table or workbench). Cover your body with a blanket, sleeping bag or mattress.

What should you not do if a tornado is near?

  1. Not taking tornado warnings seriously. There are tornado warning false alarms all of the time. …
  2. Look out the window. …
  3. Open the windows of your house. …
  4. Try to outrun a tornado. …
  5. Take cover underneath an overpass.

What are the 5 steps to prepare for a tornado?

  1. Designate a safe room. This area can either be a storm cellar, a basement or a room on the lowest level of your home or building without any windows, like a closet. …
  2. Put essentials in your safe room. …
  3. Remove outdoor items. …
  4. Reinforce your home. …
  5. Contact your insurance agent.

Can you survive if a tornado picks you up?

5: Tornadoes have picked people and items up, carried them some distance and then set them down without injury or damage. True, but

rare

. People and animals have been transported up to a quarter mile or more without serious injury, according to the SPC.

Where is the safest place to be during a tornado?

The safest place to be during a tornado event is

in a storm shelter

. If you can’t get to one, go to your basement or an interior room without windows. Vehicles, rooms with windows, top floor rooms, and anywhere outside are the worst places to be.

Can you outrun a tornado on foot?

Can you outrun a tornado on foot?

DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO IN YOUR CAR

. Tornado winds can blow large objects, including cars, hundreds of feet away. Tornadoes can change direction quickly and can lift up a car or truck and toss it through the air.

Is it safe to hide in a bathtub during a tornado?

Taking cover under sturdy furniture, in a bathtub or closet or under a mattress will be meaningless in a mobile home if the home itself is destroyed, blown over, or rolled over by tornado or severe thunderstorm winds. Get out of mobile homes and find a more substantial

shelter

as quickly as possible.

How long does a tornado last?

Tornadoes can last

from several seconds to more than an hour

. The longest-lived tornado in history is really unknown, because so many of the long-lived tornadoes reported from the early- mid 1900s and before are believed to be tornado series instead. Most tornadoes last less than 10 minutes.

How can you protect yourself from a tornado?

Go

to the basement or

an inside room without windows on the lowest floor (bathroom, closet, center hallway). If possible, avoid sheltering in a room with windows. For added protection get under something sturdy (a heavy table or workbench). Cover your body with a blanket, sleeping bag or mattress.

What should you wear in a tornado?

Wearing

solid shoes

will protect your feet from injury if you have to walk on debris — even if it’s just tree branches. Work gloves will help in case you need to handle debris. Wearing a bicycle or motorcycle helmet will help protect your head from flying debris.

Can you breathe in a tornado?

Researchers estimate that the density of the air would be 20% lower than what’s found at high altitudes. To put this in perspective, breathing in a tornado would be

equivalent to breathing at an altitude of 8,000 m

(26,246.72 ft). At that level, you generally need assistance to be able to breathe.

Why get in the bathtub during a tornado?

If the most centrally located room in your home is a ground floor bathroom, designate it as your storm shelter. And since the idea is to get as many walls between you and the approaching tornado, by all means

take shelter inside the bathtub

, where the fiberglass sides of the tub add another layer of protection.

Can a tornado tear you apart?

But it doesn’t take such rare, finger-of

-God twisters to tear a structure apart

. Tornadoes in the EF-2 and EF-3 range packing 111- to 165-mile-per-hour winds can destroy single-family homes, according to experts from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).

What causes most deaths during a tornado?

Tornado Safety Tips

Remember it is

flying debris from tornadoes

that causes the most injuries and fatalities.

What happens if you get caught in a tornado?

If possible,

evacuate immediately

and go to a storm shelter, or the lowest floor of a sturdy building. If you have no time to evacuate, proceed to an interior hallway or room on the lowest floor of the building. Mobile homes, even if they’re tied down, can’t protect you from the force of a tornado. Outside.

What corner of the house do you go to in a tornado?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no completely safe place during a tornado, but some spots are preferable to others. If you know from which direction the storm is coming,

the opposite corner of the basement

is the safest spot, reports The Tornado Project.

Diane Mitchell
Author
Diane Mitchell
Diane Mitchell is an animal lover and trainer with over 15 years of experience working with a variety of animals, including dogs, cats, birds, and horses. She has worked with leading animal welfare organizations. Diane is passionate about promoting responsible pet ownership and educating pet owners on the best practices for training and caring for their furry friends.