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Tornado Myth: "Good Thing We Don't Have Tornadoes Here!"

That's what the lady at the post office told me as we talked about the tornadoes just reported in another state yesterday.  She must not know about the one that wiped out a small town and killed several people just 30 or so miles from here in the past few weeks.  She also must not know that tornadoes can happen anywhere in the United States and do happen in many other countries.

Tornadoes have been reported in all 50 stated including Alsaka and Hawaii.  

There is also a misconcpetion that tornadoes only happen in rural areas.  This may myth may largely be due to the fact that the central part of the United States, where tornadoes are most common, includes many rural areas.

So no matter where you live, now is a good time to brush up on what to do in a tornado.

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Tornado Myths Debunked

Tornado Season Safety Tips

When is Tornado Season in the United States?

The short answer is that "tornado season" in the United States is from March to June.  This is when most tornadoes occur.

However, it should be noted that tornadoes have been recorded in every month of the year in the United States.  So tornado season may come in the spring, but being prepared for a tornado or other severe weather is important 365 days a year.

Make your shelter-in-place plans and be sure to have an emergency kit to handle the aftermath should you end up in the path of a tornado.

 Over 750,000 lives secured. Is Your Life Secure?

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Explaining 2015 Tornado Season's Late But Deadly Start

Oops! No March Tornadoes? Climate Alarmists Perplexed

Tornado in Arkansas was 1st in U.S. this month

What To Do In A Tornado

Here are three simple guidelines for how to shelter in a tornado: Get In, Get Down, Get Covered.  The key is to protect yourself from falling or flying debris.  So you want to get as far down and as far away from exteriors as possible.  The more solid protection between you and the tornado the better.

Here are another 15 tips on what to do in a tornado.

Remember, among those things never to do in a tornado, is to tray to outrun it.  Take shelter as quickly as you can and as best you can.  Get in, Get down, and Get Covered.

Over 580,000 lives secured. Is yours?

Every Life Secure

 

 

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  Owner's prayers answered as dog survives tornado.

Over 580,000 lives secured. Is yours?

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Tornado: Emergency Kit Needed

Even as an expert in emergency preparedness, I have tended to think of tornadoes as more localized disasters and ones in which help is usually readily available to meet all of the basic disaster survival needs.  However, after seeing the devastation and the aftermath of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado, I am convinced that a well stocked emergency kit is as needed after a tornado as it is after any other catastrophic disaster.

Just watch this video of the aftermath of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado and consider the need for a tornado emergency kit.

 

Remember a tornado emergency kit is really the same kit that you would use for any disaster.  It should meet the same 10 basic disaster survival needs: water, food, breathing protection, first aid, shelter, warmth, communication, light, tools, sanitation & hygiene.

 

Take the time to either get an emergency kit today or make sure that your current emergency kit is well stocked and that all the supplies are current and not expired.

 

Over 580,000 lives secured. Is yours?

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Moore, Oklahoma tornado devastation in pictures

Live Updates on Tornado Damage - Moore, Oklahoma

Here is a link to live updates on tornado damage in Oklahoma.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/05/live-updates-of-tornado-damage-in-oklahoma/

50 tornadoes in 24 hours - some massive.  The most destructive tornado hit Moore, Oklahoma and already over 50 are confirmed dead.  They had 20 to 30 minutes warning but with winds over 200 MPH, it wasn't enough to keep everyone safe.  That tornado was over a mile and a half wide and was on the ground for over an hour.

Sometimes we think that tornadoes are such localized events that there is no need for a tornado emergency kit.  The truth is that torandoes can be of disasterous proportions and help may not be immediately available to everyone.

Over 580,000 lives secured. Is yours?

Every Life Secure

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Oklahoma tornado: How the Moore tornado was born

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Massive Tornado - Over A Mile Long - Over One Hour On the Ground

 A massive tornado over a mile and a half wide spent over an hour on the ground in Moore Oklahoma.  The enormous destruction included an elementary school.  Its too soon to know the number of casualties.

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What Causes Tornadoes?

After 28 tornadoes reported yesterday in the U.S. heartland, I was wondering, "What causes tornadoes"?

As I looked up several sources, I liked this animated tornado formation video the best as it made the causes and formation of a tornado very easy to understand.

Here are some other top links that answer the question of what causes a tornado...

http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_causes_tornadoes.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/tornadoes/causesoftornadoes.shtml

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/what-causes-tornadoes

If you live in America, where 95% of the world's tornadoes actually hit, then be ready to respond and protect yourself in case of a tornado.  Make sure to have your tornado emergency kit at the ready during tornado season.

Over 580,000 lives secured. Is yours?

Every Life Secure

 

 

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Severe Kansas tornado prompts stark National Weather Service warning

Eyewitness To Disaster: Texas Tornados - "I Couldn't Stop Screaming"

  Eyewitnesses describe the horror of the recent Texas tornados:  "I couldn't stop screaming."

Be prepared for any disaster.

Over 580,000 lives secured. Is yours?

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Tornadoes Spin Through Texas Towns After Dark, Killing Six

Where Is The Safest Place in A Tornado?

The question "Where is the safest place in a tornado?" is a critical one to know the answer to before a tornado actually strikes.  Here are three tornado safety actions that may help you determine the safest place wherever you may find yourself when a tornado hits:

1) Get low: Go to the lowest level in the home, office, school or other facility.  If there is a basement or cellar, go there. If there is not a level below ground, go to the ground level of the building.

2) Get inside: Go to the most interior part the structure and avoid windows.  The best choices may be a bathroom, closet, or inner hallway.

3) Get protected: Cover your head and neck with your arms and if possible with a blanket.  Get under a sturdy piece of furniture such as a table or desk and hang on.  Once again, stay away from windows.

Think now about the places that you spend your time in and where the safest places may be in each of them in case of a tornado.  Thinking about the safest place now will save you critical time in an actual tornado.

Make sure you have a plan for where to go to be safe and make sure you have a tornado emergency kit on hand to handle the aftermath of a destructive tornado. 

No matter what the potential disaster scenario, it is critical to have an emergency kit at the ready.

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Video of Tornado's Destructive Power: Semi Trailers Thrown Through the Air in Dallas Tornado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTjR91JC850

We saw the destructive power of tornadoes in the video of the Dallas tornado throwing semi trailers through the air. Take tornado warnings seriously and make sure to have an emergency kit.

Every Life Secure - 490,000 lives secured and counting.

15 Tornado Safety Tips

I found this helpful link to 15 tornado safety tips.  The safety tips are simple but can potentially save your life.

Every Life Secure - 490,000 lives secured and counting.

 

Tornado Safety Tips - Time to Brush Up and Be Prepared

It's tornado season again. The unfortunate reminder has come once again with massive tornado outbreaks in the midwest and elsewhere.

Here are some important tornado safety tips that we have shared before on this emergency preparedness blog.

What do you do in a tornado to be safe?

What should you NOT do in a tornado?

What is a tornado emergency kit?

What do you put in a tornado emergency kit?

What emergency supplies do you need in a tornado?

Learn what to do and not do NOW so you will be safe should a tornado hit your neighborhood.

Every Life Secure - 490,000 lives secured and counting.



What Do You Put In A Tornado Emergency Kit?

When answering the questions, "What do you put in a tornado emergency kit?", it is important to know that a tornado emergency kit is really just an all-hazards emergency kit.  Your tornado emergency kit should have the supplies you might need after any emergency.  Thus it should be an "all-hazards" kit.  You don't need to have one kit for tornadoes, another for earthquakes, and yet another for floods or some other natural or man-made disaster.

Your "tornado kit" or all hazards emergency kit should be packed using U.S. Government guidelines.  You can find these guidelines at Ready.gov.  We developed all of our LifeSecure emergency kits based on these US Government guidelines.  So the best way for us to answer, "What should be in my tornado emergency kit?" is to tell you what we put in our LifeSecure All-Hazards kits...

So here are the special features and contents of our 4-Person Roll-and-Go or Shelter-In-Place 3-Day Emergency Kit:

Special Features:

• Compact/Comprehensive emergency kit: compact emergency-grade supplies cover all U.S. Governments recommended basics
• Easy-roll/flexible transport:Easy-rolling wheels and telescoping handle avoid back strain; double hand straps and adjustable shoulder strap provide go-anywhere flexibility
• Travel safety and emergency identification:Re-positionable LED safety signal visible up to 800 yards
• Durable protection for supplies: rugged rolling duffel with 600-denier construction; hard-sided cases for personal supplies
• Quick-access organization:large-mouth opening to main compartment with two side pockets and two compression straps; easy-pull ergonomic zippers; personal supplies stored in four carrying cases
• Long life:Water, food, batteries have 5-year shelf life

Contents:
For protection and shelter:

• (4) N-95 respirators (face masks)
• (4) Emergency thermal blankets
• (4) Emergency ponchos
• (1) Roll plastic sheeting
• (1) Roll duct tape

For turning off utilities and other tasks:

• (1) Multifunction tool [needle nose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutter,file/cutter, flat file, pointed screwdriver, mini-screwdriver, small screwdriver, screwdriver, Phillips screwdriver, can opener, bottle opener,punch, knife blade]
• (1) Pair leather-palmed work gloves

For communication and light:

• (4) Metal whistles with lanyard
• (1) AM/FM radio with two sets of AAA batteries
• (1) Flashlight with two sets of D batteries
• (8) 12-hour light sticks
• (1) LED Safety Signal
• (1) Notepad
• (1) Pen
• (1) Waterproof document pouch

For hydration and nutrition:

• (1) 2-gallon water bag for carrying, purifying and storing water
• (4) 2,400-calorie food bar (bar contains 12 individually wrapped 200-calorie portions) [5-year shelf life - U.S. Coast Guard approved]
• (24) 4 oz. emergency water pouches [5-year shelf life - U.S. Coast Guard approved]
• (50) water purification tablets

For medical, hygiene and sanitation needs:

• (4) Personal First Aid packet
• (1) Family First Aid kit
• (1) First Aid Guide
• (3) Bio-hazard bags
• (1) Toilet paper roll
• (24) Moist towelettes

For storage and easy transport:

• Emergency preparedness supplies are packed in a rolling duffel with double hand straps and adjustable shoulder strap.

You will note that these LifeSecure emergency kits contain supplies that meet each of the 10 basic emergency needs: water, food, breathing protection, first aid, shelter, warmth, communication, light, tools, sanitation & hygiene.   Note also that this version of our emergency kit has rolling wheels.  We sell rolling and backpack versions of each of our family emergency kits, but we have a preference for wheels (with an option to carry).

The key is to buy or your own "tornado emergency kit" before a tornado or other disaster actually hits.  It isn't hard to do, but after the fact is... well, after the fact and won't do any good.

Every Life Secure

 

What is a Tornado Emergency Kit?

Many people are asking about Tornado Emergency Kits.  They are looking for a kit that is uniquely designed to deal with the aftermath of a tornado.  The truth is that a tornado emergency kit is really just a regular 72 hour all-hazards emergency kit.  You will have the same emergency needs after a tornado as you may after any other catastrophic natural disaster.

So our suggestion is that you buy or make an emergency kit that meets the 10 basic emergency needs: water, food, breathing protection, first aid, shelter, warmth, communication, light, tools, sanitation & hygiene.  Your kits should be designed using the U.S. government guidelines available at Ready.gov.  This is how we design all of our LifeSecure emergency kits.

So get an emergency kit - if you want to call it your tornado emergency kit, that's fine.  Then learn what to do in a tornado and what NOT to do in a tornado.  Just remember, when the tornado sirens go off, take cover and be safe.  Don't take chances with something as potentially deadly as a tornado.

Every Life Secure

What Emergency Supplies Do You Need to Respond to a Tornado?

Someone recently asked, "What emergency supplies do you need to respond to a tornado?"  The answer is that you need essentially the same emergency supplies that you would need to respond to any other disaster.  If a tornado hits close enough to do damage to your home or knock out essential utilities and services, you may have to evacuate or be prepared to shelter-in-place without the benefit of all of the conveniences which we take for granted.

Whether you have to evacuate of shelter-in-place after a tornado of some other disaster, you may need to provide for 10 emergency essential needs: water, food, breathing protection, first aid, shelter, warmth, communication, light, tools, sanitation & hygiene.  A well designed 72 hour emergency kit with basic supplies can help you meet each of these needs whether you stay or have to go.

Ready.gov provides a helpful list of emergency supplies.  You can build your own tornado emergency kit or purchase one.

Every Life Secure

 

 

More Tornado Deaths - Same Message - Know What To Do and What NOT To Do In A Tornado

Deadly tornadoes overnight in the Midwest, including a massive tornado in Missouri, remind us to be prepared for any disaster.  Tornadoes can happen anywhere in the United States so all of us need to know what to do in a tornado and what NOT to do in a tornado.

#1 rule - take cover!

Every Life Secure

Tornado Tracks Map

Here is a preliminary map of the tornado tracks in the devastating Southern outbreak of tornadoes this week.  I am amazed at how long many of the tracks of devastation really are.

 
Be prepared, and take cover when a tornado warning sounds.

Every Life Secure

Tornado - Take Cover and Survive

In the wave of tornadoes that just devastated the South (killing almost 300), many took cover in even strange places and survived.  When the sirens sound and the warnings are given, don't delay, take cover. 

Tornadoes can strike in any state.  No area is immune to tornadoes. Learn what to do in a tornado as it could save your life.

Every Life Secure

What To Do After A Tornado - How to Be Safe

What do you do after a tornado?  Here are some tips from the CDC on how to stay safe after a tornado.  One study showed that 50% of injuries happen after the actual tornado, during search efforts and clean up.  A third of the injuries came from stepping on nails. 

Be careful and be safe even after a tornado has passed.

Every Life Secure

Severe Weather Kills 202 Across 6 States - Know What to Do to Prepare for Severe Storms

Severe weather killed at least 202 people overnight - mostly across the south.  Know what to do to prepare for severe weather so that you and your family can be safe.

Take severe storm warnings and tornado warnings seriously and take cover.

Every Life Secure

Things NOT To Do in Case a Tornado is Coming

We have all read long lists of things to do in the case of various disaster scenarios. However, it is often avoiding what you should NOT do that can mean the difference between life and death or safety and injury. So here is a list of what NOT to do if a tornado is bearing down on you:

1) DON'T try to outrun a tornado.  How fast do tornadoes move?  The typical tornado may move at about 10 - 20 to miles per hour, but some tornadoes move at 60 miles per hour or more.  Tyring to outrun a tornado on foot or in a vehicle is a dangerous move.  Instead seek safe shelter immediately.

2) DON'T stay in a car, trailer, or mobile home (even if its tied down).

  These simply provide little to no protection from the up to 300 mile per hour winds that a severe tornado may generate. Get out, get to a more sturdy shelter, or lie flat (and cover your head) in any depression you can find.  The bottom line is that you will do better in the open lying flat than you will inside what will likely become a projectile or simply disintegrate.  The pictures tell the story best. 

Oh and don't try to take cover under the car, trailer, or mobile home.  Get away from them so they don't hit you when the winds sweep them away.

3) DON'T stand there watching the tornado or filming it.  Get away from the window. Put the video camera or cell phone cam down and value your life more than you do a few seconds of fame on the internet or with your friends.  Seconds can matter.  If a tornado is heading your way, take cover!  Avoid the deer in the headlights reaction.

4) If you are outdoors, DON'T seek shelter around trees, vehicles, or other things that can become airborne projectiles. Get to safe and sturdy shelter or lie down in the best gully, ditch, or depression you can find and cover your head.  Things will be flying - even heavy things - so keep yourself as flat as possible.  Flying debris cause the majority or fatalities and injuries in a tornado.  Stay away from things that can blow apart or blow onto you.

5) DON'T take cover under a bridge or overpass.  The reality is that in a tornado winds can actually accelerate under such structures and the structures themselves can come apart and create deadly debris.  Also, you will probably be violating the "stay away from cars" rule as you will likely have your own vehicle there as well as those of others who did not read this list of things NOT to do in a tornado.

Do you have any "DON'TS" to add to the list?  Please comment and add to my list of things NOT to do in a tornado.

Every Life Secure

What Were the 10 Most Destructive Tornadoes in U.S. History?

The 10 most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history span 131 years and 10states (Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Wisconsin). The worst of these tornadoes (The Tri-State Tornado of 1925) traveled 219 miles and killed about 690 people across three states.

Take tornado warnings seriously. Learn what to do in a tornado, and do it without delay when the warnings are sounded.

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Heed Storm and Tornado Warnings

We all should give heed to storm and tornado warnings and take cover.  Overnight, at least 7 people were killed as severe storms and tornadoes ripped through Arkansas.  Don't take severe weather warnings lightly.

Every Life Secure

What Do You Do During a Tornado? How Can You Be Safe Wherever You Are?

LifeSecure.com

I awoke this morning to the news of another deadly tornado.  This one was in Oklahoma and claimed 8 lives and destroyed numerous buildings.  I wondered,"How many tornadoes hit in the U.S. every year?"  Answer: Over 1,200.

Then I wondered, "Which states get hit the most by tornadoes?" Answer: The Tornado Alley states of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and South Dakota.

How about, "Where have the most deadly tornadoes hit?" Answer: Mississippi, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Michigan, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Maryland.

The deadliest tornado of all time killed 689 people along a 219 mile long track in 1925.

So, "Is there any state in the U.S. that is completely safe from tornadoes?" Answer:  No.  Sorry, every US state including Hawaii has experienced tornadoes.  So, no matter which state you live in, its important to know what to do during a tornado.

As I further researched Tornadoes, I saw a video clip of two storm chasers in Iowa taking a direct hit from a tornado while in their car last year (this same tornado killed 4 in a boy scout camp).  These guys stayed in their car and filmed the whole event. I thought, "Aren't you suppose to get out of the car and lie flat in a ditch?"

It's been a while since I last read about what to do in a tornado, so I decided it was time for review.  Hopefully you will find my tornado response review helpful.

Here is what the US Government (FEMA) tells us to do:

If you are in "a structure (e.g. residence, small building, school, nursing home, hospital, factory, shopping center, high-rise building) - Go to a pre-designated shelter area such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar, or the lowest building level. If there is no basement, go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level (closet, interior hallway) away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck. Do not open windows."

OK, so forget the old advice to open windows "so your house doesn't explode."

If you are in "a vehicle, trailer, or mobile home - Get out immediately and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter. Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes.

No mention of getting out to "lie down in a ditch."  The guys on the video I saw were out of luck because there were no nearby buildings.

If you are "outside with no shelter - Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Be aware of the potential for flooding.

Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location.

Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter.

Watch out for flying debris. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries."

OK, so there is my "lie in a ditch" advice.  But I'm still not clear on if you are out in the open with no chance to get to a building, do you stay inside the car or jump out and lie in a ditch?  ...Ah, here we go.  The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has the answer:

"On the Road

The least desirable place to be during a tornado is in a motor vehicle. Cars, buses, and trucks are easily tossed by tornado winds.

DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO IN YOUR CAR. If you see a tornado, stop your vehicle and get out. Do not get under your vehicle. Follow the directions for seeking shelter outdoors (see next section).

Outdoors

If you are caught outside during a tornado and there is no adequate shelter immediately available--

• Avoid areas with many trees.
• Avoid vehicles.
• Lie down flat in a gully, ditch, or low spot on the ground.
• Protect your head with an object or with your arms."

Got it!  Bottom line is don't stay in the car.  Get to a sturdy building (never go under an overpass for protection) or if this is not possible, do the "lie in a ditch" thing.

It's hard to remember exactly what to do in every disaster situation, but reading official recommendations periodically, talking with your family about them, and practicing things like where you would go and what you would do at home to protect yourself in case of a tornado are steps that take little effort but could help you and your family survive.

Here are some good links for further information and preparation.

Selected Information from Tornadoes - Are You Ready?: FEMA
During a Tornado - CDC (this had some good detailed information I did not find elsewhere)
Tornado Terms
Before a Tornado
During a Tornado
After a Tornado

If you have survived a tornado (it's one disaster not on my personal list) please email me your secure survivor story so we can share it with our readers: [email protected].  If you have read some other good tornado advice, please comment below.

EveryLifeSecure.com
An Emergency Preparedness Blog helping to make "Every Life Secure" in any emergency or disaster... at home, work, school, or on-the-go.

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An Emergency Preparedness website offering emergency kits and emergency supplies to help keep people secure in any emergency or disaster... at home, work, school or on-the-go.  Over 170,000 Lives Secured!