Emergency Preparation For Tornados

Weather disturbances create chaos every year in the coastal regions of the world. In the US, hurricanes are quite common. Further north there are blizzards and snowstorms but in the continental plains, there are tornadoes.

A tornado is a natural phenomenon where a funnel of air comes spiraling out of the blue and rips apart anything in its path. They materialize out of thin air, are about half a kilometer wide and disappear into thin air just as suddenly.

This event is not predictable by weather experts and the best thing to do if you encounter one is to bunker down and wait for it to pass. But there are few things you can keep in mind in a tornado emergency.

Those who live in areas prone to tornados should have basements to their house so that if a tornado strikes you can go below and wait it out in relative safety. Stock your underground shelter with food, water, medicines and other essential requirements. If your house is directly in the path of a tornado, you will have to rebuild everything and this is not covered under insurance. If there is no advance warning of a tornado then you must find a safe place to hide. Separated members should have a pre-assigned place where they can wait for others to come.

Here it is advisable to keep ample cash in the house and in the bank so that if you do have to rebuild you have the funds to do so. These are emergency funds. In the event of a tornado strike, electricity, water and communication may not be functioning so make sure you have a battery operated radio and spare batteries so you can keep abreast of the situation outside. If it happens that parents or an elder person is not at home then one person becomes the leader who takes decisions and this must be adhered to by the others so that everyone stays together till help comes.

Tornado drills are very important so that everyone knows what to do and how to manage during a strike. Rules like reaching the shelter within 5 minutes will help prepare members for when there is a real strike.

Remember to follow these tips because a tornado cannot be predicted and if you are not prepared it may injure or kill someone. During a tornado strike there is no moving out or escaping till it passes over. Don't attempt going out to look for others. Wait till it passes and hope that they remember the drills you went through.