Did you know that the USA experiences more tornadoes statistically than any other country in the world?
In Oklahoma alone, there have been 4 fatalities in 2019 as a result of a tornado. It’s not a risk anybody should be willing to take, even though the number may seem small.
However, there are ways to be prepared!
Make sure you stay safe and take cover. Learn where the safest place during a tornado is here and make sure you and your family make it through unscathed.
The Basics: What You Need To Know
There is a difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. A tornado watch is only issued when there are favorable conditions for a tornado to form. However, a tornado warning is when things are slightly more serious.
A tornado warning is the point at which you, your family or your co-workers should be looking for the safest place during a tornado!
Before any type of storm hits, you need to have a basic plan of action for yourself and your family. We’ll call it a tornado plan. This plan should be discussed between you and your loved ones, so that should the time come, everybody knows what they need to do.
The Safest Place During a Tornado
There is any number of places you could be when the storm hits, so ensure that you’re clued up on the numerous places that are classified as the safest places to be.
Before we hit this list, remember that you should try to kit your safe place out with protective coverings such as mattresses, large pieces of foam and thick blankets. This is because one of the biggest potential threats during a tornado is flying debris.
If you’re lucky enough to have a storm shelter, then you need to make sure that it has everything it needs to keep you safe.
In Your Home
If you’re at home when the tornado arrives, the safest place you could be is in your basement. Right in the middle of the basement, in fact.
The key to this is not to be stationed underneath any furniture on the floor above you, as structural damage might mean that the refrigerator or your grand piano could fall through the floor.
If you don’t have a basement, then the best thing for you to do is avoid windows. Find an interior, center room with no windows. You’ll need to be prepared to get as low to the floor as possible, even crouching inside a bathtub is good for added protection.
If You Live In a Mobile Home
If your home is a mobile one, then there is no safe place for you to be. You need to have a tornado action plan that gets you to the nearest, permanent structure.
You may feel like your home is secure and immovable, but depending on the strength of the tornado, any mobile home cannot be guaranteed as a safe place.
Make sure you’re never far away from a building that boasts a basement or at least a building that has ample interior rooms for you to find shelter from the storm.
Types of Storm Shelters
If you don’t want to rely simply on the structure of your own home, then a storm shelter is the way to go for you.
There are in-ground storm shelters and above-ground shelters. Which one you decide to choose will be largely based on what your county allows, and space available.
Before you erect your storm shelter, make sure that you know which one is best for you.
Staying Safe
Finding the safest place during a tornado is paramount to your survival. Attempting to wait out the storm in hopes that you will make it through is not the way to go.
You need to prepare for the worst, so if the worst hits, you’re not caught unaware. Ensure your family knows the plan inside and out, so nobody is left unsure of what to do.
If you need help creating a safe space in your home if and when disaster strikes, contact us to see how we can help.
