A tornado is one of nature’s most violent storms, causing property damage and fatalities each year. They are spawned from powerful thunderstorms, causing devastation in seconds and costing millions of dollars in damage to homes, businesses, and communities.
Understand the Signs
Know the difference between weather warnings
- A Tornado Watch means that atmospheric conditions are right for tornadoes to form.
- A Tornado Warning means there is rotation in the clouds, and/or a funnel cloud has been spotted.
Be Prepared
Be alert to changing weather conditions. Listen to your local television stations, radio stations, or weather radio for storm watches and warnings. Listen for community sirens if you have them in your area. Don’t wait until the storm is upon you; every second counts. Take shelter immediately when you hear the warnings.
Stay Away from Windows! Do not open windows. It’s a myth that opening a window will equalize pressure. In fact, it’s letting in the wind, which can lift your home off its foundation.
Look for approaching storms and the danger signs
- Dark, often greenish-colored sky
- Large hail can indicate the presence of a dangerous storm but don’t depend on it.
- Large, dark, low-lying clouds – particularly if they are rotating
- Loud roar, similar to the sound of a freight train
Have A Plan
At home, work, school, church, shopping, or just out, know where you can take shelter. Tornadoes can come without much warning, and you may only have a matter of seconds to get to cover. Every member of your family should understand the dangers of tornadoes and should practice a tornado drill each year. Have a plan of communication and/or meeting place after the storm if you are separated. When a tornado watch is issued, make sure everyone is aware of the situation and is ready with safety supplies in or near your designated shelter. In case of a power outage after the tornado passes, have enough supplies for each person for at least 72 hours.
- Weather radio with battery backup
- Mattress, sleeping bags, thick blankets, pillows etc.
- Charged cell phone
- Flashlights, battery-operated lanterns, emergency candles
- Extra batteries for flashlight and radio
- Bottled water, non-perishable food (salt-free)
- Small First Aid Kit
- Whistle
- Utility knife
- Any important medications
- Insurance papers for home/business and vehicles
- Important phone numbers
Secure your pets before the storm approaches. Pets can become panicked, so a small interior room with a blanket and a familiar toy can comfort them. If you have a pet carrier, make sure you secure the carrier in a safe place, and give your pet a blanket or familiar toy inside the carrier to help keep them calm. Make sure they have fresh water available.
Taking Shelter During a Tornado
During a Tornado or Severe Thunderstorm
Do you live in a place where tornadoes happen frequently? If you are in an area where tornadoes happen, make sure you know how to stay safe!
If you are at home during a tornado
- Go to a windowless interior room on the lowest level of your house. Go to a storm cellar or basement if your house has one. If there is no basement, go to an inner hallway or a smaller inner room without windows, such as a bathroom or closet.
- Get away from the windows.
- Go to the center of the room. Stay away from corners because they tend to attract debris.
- Get under a piece of sturdy furniture such as a workbench heavy table or desk and hold on to it.
- Use your arms to protect your head and neck.
- If you are in a mobile home, get out and find shelter elsewhere.
If you are at work or school during a tornado
- Go to the basement or to an inside hallway at the lowest level.
- Avoid places with wide-span roofs such as auditoriums, cafeterias, large hallways, or shopping malls.
- Get under a piece of sturdy furniture such as a workbench heavy table or desk and hold on to it.
- Use your arms to protect your head and neck.
If you are outdoors during a tornado
- If possible, get inside a building.
- If shelter is not available or there is no time to get indoors, lie in a ditch or low-lying area or crouch near a strong building. Look out for flood waters which may also fill low areas.
- Use your arms to protect your head and neck.
If you are in a car during a tornado
- Never try to drive faster than a tornado in a car or truck. Tornadoes can change direction quickly and can lift up a car or truck and toss it through the air.
- Get out of the car immediately and take shelter in a nearby building.
- If there is no time to get indoors, get out of the car and lie in a ditch or low-lying area away from the vehicle. Be aware of the potential for flooding.
The Enhanced Fujita Scale
The Fujita Scale (F-Scale), or Fujita-Pearson scale was developed by meteorologists and wind engineers to rate the intensity of a tornado by examining the damage caused by the tornado after it passes. The scale was updated in 2007 and is now called The Enhanced Fujita Scale.
After the storm passes, a ground and/or aerial survey will identify ground-swirl patterns (cycloidal marks). This, along with visual damage, radar tracking, video, photographs, and eyewitness accounts are all factored in together to determine the F-Scale of the tornado.
| Wind Speed Estimate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale | Mph | Km/h | Potential Damage | Example Of Damage |
| EF0 | 65–85 | 105–137 | Minor damage. Peels surface off some roofs; some damage to gutters or siding; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over. Confirmed tornadoes with no reported damage (i.e., those that remain in open fields) are always rated EF0. | .jpg) |
| EF1 | 86–110 | 138–177 | Moderate damage. Roofs severely stripped; mobile homes overturned or badly damaged; loss of exterior doors; windows and other glass broken. |  |
| EF2 | 111–135 | 178–217 | Considerable damage. Roofs torn off from well-constructed houses; foundations of frame homes shifted; mobile homes completely destroyed; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground. |  |
| EF3 | 136–165 | 218–266 | Severe damage. Entire stories of well-constructed houses destroyed; severe damage to large buildings such as shopping malls; trains overturned; trees debarked; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown; structures with weak foundations are badly damaged. |  |
| EF4 | 166–200 | 267–322 | Devastating damage. Well-constructed and whole Frame Houses Wikipedia completely leveled; cars and other large objects thrown and small missiles generated. |  |
| EF5 | >200 | >322 | Incredible damage. Strong-framed, well-built houses leveled off foundations are swept away; steel-reinforced concrete structures are critically damaged; tall buildings collapse or have severe structural deformations; some cars, trucks, and train cars can be thrown approximately 1 mile (1.6 km). |  |
Data table provided by Wikipedia
After a Severe Storm Passes
Safety is the primary issue in any disaster. Continue to listen to your local radio and television station, if possible, for updated information on conditions in your area. There may be power outages, and roads may be blocked.
Critical
- See if your neighbors may need help, especially those who are elderly, have large families, and people with disabilities. Call for emergency assistance if you see or hear someone who may be trapped. Give first aid where needed. Do not move a seriously injured person unless they are in immediate danger of further injury from falling debris, fire, flooding, etc.
- If you see fallen power lines or smell gas from broken gas lines, call the utility company or your local fire department immediately to get them turned off. These can be potential hazards and could create further injury and fires. If you are trapped in your car with a fallen power line, Do Not Exit the Vehicle, you could get electrocuted if the lines are still live. Wait for emergency responders and follow their instructions.
Make sure you and your family find a safe place to stay if your home has been damaged.
- Use your phone only for emergency calls. Telephone lines may be flooded with calls in disaster situations with those looking for family and friends. Keep the lines open for emergencies.
- If your home has been damaged, think of safety first. Contact 911 by cell phone if you or someone in your home is trapped.
- Stay out of damaged buildings. Tornadoes can cause all kinds of damage to a building you may not see directly. An unsteady building can collapse and debris from buildings inside and out can continue to fall creating further hazards. If you must enter a damaged building, make sure you have a flashlight and sturdy shoes and let someone know where you are going. Never use candles, lighters, or any open flame at any time. Always use a flashlight as there can be leaking gas lines.
- Wait for authorities to give word on when it’s okay to return to your home or business. Your presence otherwise can hamper rescue efforts and other emergency operations.
- Contact your insurance company as soon as possible. Take pictures of the damage to both building and contents for your insurance adjuster. Ask your insurance company for assistance when assessing the damage, they may have a list of trusted contractors.
Check with your community for assistance and your local Red Cross for help.
Tornado Myths & Facts
Tornadoes have been a source of misconception for hundreds of years. Not knowing the facts can cause serious injury and even death.
Myths
Hiding under an overpass is a safe place when a tornado approaches.
A deadly myth. In actuality, this is the worst place to hide. Tornado winds can be worse under an overpass as they can change direction and wind speeds are higher above ground level. There is no protection from flying debris as most overpasses have no girders.
The southwest corner of a basement is the safest place to go.
False. The best place to be is in the center (interior) room of a basement or under the basement stairwell.
Opening your windows during a tornado will equalize the pressure.
An old wive’s tale! Violent winds and flying debris are what can destroy your home, not the pressure. Opening windows only lets in more wind and will do nothing to stop a tornado’s destruction if you are in its path.
Tornadoes cannot cross lakes and rivers or cross mountains and hillsides.
A common misconception. Tornadoes that form on land can cross bodies of water, and a more violent tornado can travel up and down hillsides and mountains. Tornadoes that form on water are called waterspouts. No place is protected from a tornado.
Tornadoes always move to the northeast.
Another deadly myth that can create a false sense of security. Most tornadoes do move northeast, but tornadoes can arrive from any direction. Tornados can also shift directions without notice due to storm motion changes.
Facts
The Mid-South is the most vulnerable region to tornadoes.
A study of deadly storms underscores this new research finding. Published by Northern Illinois University meteorologist Walker Ashley. Ashley found that while the “tornado alley” region of the Great Plains boasts the most frequent occurrence of tornadoes, most tornado fatalities occur in the nation’s mid-South region, which includes parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Tornadoes are nature’s most violent and dangerous storms.
They can form any time of year, but the season usually runs from March to August with the most outbreaks.
Tornado winds can reach over 300 miles per hour.
Tornadoes are measured according to the Enhanced Fujita-Scale that links damage to wind speed.
For more information on tornadoes, visit the Ready Website