Tornado safety: Everything you need to know about taking shelter during severe weather
Shelter from a tornado can look many different ways, but there are many places to avoid shelter, too. Here's what you need to know.
FILE: How to stay safe during severe weather
FOX Weather meteorologist Ian Oliver explains how to stay safe during severe weather and tornadoes.
Tornadoes can happen in almost every state, and knowing what to do and where to go during a tornado warning can save your life.
As soon as a tornado warning is issued, seek safe shelter.
Tornado shelter sign next to water fountain in Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
(Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
There are different types of shelters, and in places that experience frequent severe weather, shelters might be an underground bunker-like space for people to seek safety.
Shelter from a tornado can look many different ways, but there are many places to avoid shelter, too.
When to seek shelter
Take shelter immediately if a tornado warning is issued, or if a tornado is seen or indicated by weather radar.
Take shelter if you hear tornado sirens, signaling a tornado is imminent.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TORNADO WATCH, TORNADO WARNING AND TORNADO EMERGENCY?
ENGLEWOOD, CO - AUGUST 11: Funnel cloud comes out of the clouds as storms brew August 11, 2015. (Photo By via Getty Images)
(John Leyba/The Denver Post )
If you see any of these signs, it's a good idea to seek shelter.
- Rotating funnel-shaped cloud
- Approaching cloud of debris
- Dark or green-colored sky
- Large, dark, low-lying cloud
- Large hail
- Loud roar that sounds like a freight train
HOW YOU SHOULD PREPARE FOR A TORNADO
Florida, smart phone tornado alert warning.
(Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
If your home or property has a designated space for sheltering from a storm, go there as soon as a tornado warning is issued. Don't wait, just go.
Different places to seek shelter
There are many different ways to seek shelter when a tornado may be happening or possible.
Certain types of shelters can be purchased and installed if there's not a safe space in your home to go to during a tornado.
HOW PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIALS NOTIFY YOU DURING SEVERE WEATHER EMERGENCIES
They can be underground or above ground, and are typically made of concrete and reinforced steel.
@foxweather JUST IN TIME🌪️: Shari and Dwain Short were quick to act when severe weather swept through their town. The Ponca City, Oklahoma couple and their pets ran for shelter seconds before a possible tornado rattled their home. #FOXWeather #severeweather #tornado #wind #oklahoma #okwx ♬ original sound - FOX Weather
If there is no designated shelter where you are, go to an interior basement or lowest level of a building away from windows.
Cars, trucks and mobile homes are easily picked up by tornadoes and tossed.
TUSCALOOSA, AL - JULY 05: A tornado shed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on July 5, 2018.
(Raymond Boyd / Getty Images)
When in a car or mobile home, leave as quickly as possible and go to a nearby building with a place to shelter.
TORNADO SAFETY: THE SAFEST AREAS TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND WHY TO AVOID OVERPASSES
If traveling and there is no shelter nearby, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says to lie flat in the nearest ditch, ravine or culvert and shield your head with your hands.
Tornado severe weather shelter sign at Mount Olive.
(Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
If debris is flying and getting out of your vehicle is not an option, keep your seat belt on, put your head below the window and cover your head with your neck and arms and anything else like a blanket, coat or cushion, to protect yourself, according to Ready.gov.
TORNADO SAFETY: THE SAFEST AREAS TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND WHY TO AVOID OVERPASSES
Do not seek shelter under highway overpasses or bridges, and never try to outrun a tornado.
Things to keep in a shelter for severe weather season
Once you've found a safe space to take shelter during a tornado, it's important to stock it with essentials in case of an emergency.
WHAT TO PUT IN AN EMERGENCY KIT
Keep a bag or box with the necessary supplies packed in your shelter, or an area that's easily reachable nearby in the event of a tornado.
FILE - Johnson & Johnson first aid products are arranged for a photograph in Tiskilwa, Illinois, U.S., on Thursday, July 2, 2015.
(Daniel Acker / Bloomberg / Getty Images)
These are things every shelter should have:
- Supply of water to last several days
- Non-perishable food items
- Flashlight
- Batteries
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
- First aid kit
- Manual can opener for food
- Cell phones with chargers and backup battery supply
- Tarp or plastic sheeting and scissors
Things that aren't necessary, but a good thing to keep in mind when stocking a shelter include pillows and blankets, extra clothes and shoes, a makeshift toilet, hand sanitizer and moist towelettes.
Make sure to have prescription glasses or contact solution if you wear them, pack any prescription medications needed, and if you have a baby or pet, make sure to pack the necessary items to keep them safe.
Tornado Damage Happy, Texas.
(Education Images/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
Storm shelters can be the difference between life and death during a tornado.
Make sure to know when severe weather may be affecting your area and always be prepared.