How to Prepare a Tornado Emergency Pack

The sirens are going off and you are running around in a frantic rush in the dark looking for a flashlight to find your kids, cats and dogs. If you would have seen this article sooner you wouldn’t be in such a predicament. Now you will be completely prepared in case the tornado alarms go off. Just so that you know, when a tornado alarm is going off that means you need to go into the basement immediately! A tornado touched down here several weeks ago and 911 received several calls with people saying, “This is just a tornado warning, right?” A tornado warning is just that, it means seek shelter immediately. Either a tornado has already touched down or a funnel cloud was spotted (which is the beginning of a tornado).

If you do not have a basement you must go to the most interior room in your home without windows. A closet or bathroom would work the best. Bathrooms are good because there is more support with pipes and plumbing. Try to get into the bathtub or stand up shower and sit down if possible. Never get into your car and try to run away from a tornado. You will never win against mother nature. If you are in a car, pull over and seek shelter immediately. Go into the closest building and if there isn’t a building, lay down in a flat ditch.

Now that you know what to do and where to go you need to know what to have with you. Chances are that it will be when you are home. Make sure to pack things and place them in your basement or room that you will go to when the sirens go off. You will want a flashlight with new batteries or several of them if you have extras. You will want candles and a couple lighters. You will also want some type of weather radio or radio with local weather. A TV will serve the same purpose as long as you can find out what is going on outside. Never go outside during bad weather. You may also want to bring blankets and bottled water. Remember to bring your pets inside (dogs and cats). Don’t run outside and bring in all your cows from in the field. If you are going to do this, keep an eye out for bad storms and bring them in ahead of time.

If there are any other necessary items you need, make sure to bring them with you. If you have a small child bring diapers, formula and bottles. Make sure that you wont need to leave the area you are in until the storm is over which could last up to five hours. A lot of storms lead to multiple tornadoes. If you live in an area such as Texas, definitely make sure you do all of the necessary things to make sure that you are prepared as soon as possible. Just because it isn’t tornado season, doesn’t mean there won’t be a tornado. The weather is completely unpredictable.