FAQs - Details

Where can I find shelter during a tornado?

In a house, go to the middle of the basement. Stay away from doors and windows. Get under something like a heavy table, if you can, cover yourself with a blanket or sleeping bag. If there is no basement, go to an interior room on the ground floor. Stay away from windows. You do not have to open them to equalize air pressure. All you are doing is putting yourself in danger of getting cut from flying glass. Get out of mobile homes. Try to take shelter in a permanent structure. If none is available, you are safer in the open than in a mobile home. Tie-downs will not help. Get out of your car. Never try to out-run a tornado. If you are caught in the open, lie down in a ditch, away from trees. In a high-rise building, use the stairs to go to the designated shelter area or an interior room on the lowest floor possible. In a school, nursing home, hospital, factory or shopping center, go to a pre-designated shelter area. Interior hallways on the lowest floors are usually the safest. Stay away from windows and open areas with freestanding roofs. Before the weather gets bad, take time to identify potential shelters and be sure to keep a battery-powered radio handy to hear the latest emergency information. Nothing can stop a tornado, but being prepared can help you and your family survive.