Severe Weather Awareness Tornado Drill Day

Today is Tornado Drill day during the Minnesota Homeland Security Emergency  Management Severe Weather Awareness Week.

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground.  Tornadoes are capable of completely destroying well-made structures, uprooting trees, and hurling objects through the air like deadly missiles.  Tornadoes can occur at any time of day or night and any at any time of the year.

What is the difference between a Tornado Watch, a Tornado Warning and a Tornado Emergency?  The National Weather Service breaks it down this way:

• Tornado Watch:  Be Prepared!  Tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area.  Review and discuss your emergency plans, take inventory of your supplies and check your safe room.  Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued or you suspect a tornado a tornado is approaching.  Acting early helps to save lives!  Watcvhes are issued by the Storm Prediction Center for counties where tornadoes may occur.  The watch area is typically large, covering numerous counties or even states,
• Tornado Warning:  Take Action!  A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar.  There is imminent danger to life and property.  Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.  Avoid windows.  If in a mobile home, a vehicle, or outdoors, move to the closestsubstantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.  Warnings are issued by your local forecast office.  Warnings typically encompass a much smaller area (around the size of a city or small county) that may be impacted by a tornado identified by a forecaster on radar or by a trained spotter/law enforcement who is watching the storm.
• Tornado Emergency:  Seek Shelter Immediately!  A tornado emergency is the alert level.  It is issued when a violent tornado has touched down in the watch area.  There is a severe threat to human life and property, with catastrophic damage confirmed.  Immediately seek refuge in the safest location possible.  Call friends and family who are within the watch area to ensure they are aware of the situation.  If you see a tornado approaching, do not attempt to outrun it in a vehicle; shelter in place.  Once safe, be sure to monitor your local forecast for the latest updates.

Statewide tornado drills will be conducted at 1:45 and 6:45 p.m.  People need to go over what they would do if this were a real event.  In other words, practice your plan at work or home.

What to do during a tornado event

In a house with a basement:

• Avoid windows.
• Get in the basement and under some kind of sturdy protection (heavy table or workbench), or cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag.
• Know where very heavy objects rest on the floor above (pianos, refrigerators, waterbeds, etc.) and do not go under them.  They may fall down through a weakened floor and crush you.

In a house without a basement:

• Avoid windows.
• Go to the lowest floor. small center room (like a bathroom or closet), under a stairwell, or in a interior hallway with no windows.
• Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands.
• A bathtub may offer a shell of partial protection.
• Even in an interior room, you should cover yourself with some sort of thick padding (mattress, blankets, etc.), to protect against falling debris in case the roof and ceiling fall.

In an apartment, dorm or condo:

• If you live in an apartment that is on an upper floor, immediately get to the lowest level of the building that you can.  This could be an underground parking garage or neighbor's first-floor apartment.  Then move to the most interior area possible, away from windows.
• If you live in a high-rise apartment building, you may not have enough tine to get to a lower level, so picking a place in the hallway in the center of your building, such as a stairwell, is the best idea.  If that's not available, then a closet, bathroom or interior hall without windows is the safest spot in your apartment during a tornado.
• Power loss during a tornado storm is common, so avoid elevators and keep a flashlight handy.

In an office building, hospital or store:

• Follow instructions from facility managers.
• Go directly to an enclosed, windowless area in the center of the building, away from glass and on the lowest floor possible.  Then crouch down and cover your head.
• Interior stairwells are usually good places to take shelter and if not crowded, allow you to get to a lower level quickly.
• Stay off of elevators.  You could be trapped in them if power is lost.

In a mobile home:

• Get out!  Even if your home is tied down, you are probably safer outside, even if the only alternative is to seek shelter out in the open.  Most tornadoes can destroy even tied-down mobile homes; it is best not to play the low odds that yours will make it.
• If your community has a tornado shelter, go there fast.
• If there is a sturdy permanent building within easy running distance, seek shelter there.
• Otherwise, lie flat on low ground away from your home, protecting your head.  If possible, use open ground away from trees and cars, which can be blown into you.

At a school:

• Follow the drill!
• Go to the interior hall or room in an orderly way as you are told.
• Go to the interior hall or room in an orderly way as you are told.
• Crouch low, head down, and protect the back of your head with your arms.
• Stay away from windows and large open rooms like gyms and auditoriums.

In a car or truck:

• Vehicles are extremely dangerous in a tornado.
• If the tornado is visible, far away and the traffic is light, you may be able to drive away from it's path by moving at right angles to the tornado.
• Otherwise, park the vehicle as quickly and safely as possible, out of the traffic lanes.
• Get out and seek shelter in a sturdy building.
• If in open country, run to low ground away from any vehicles (which may roll over on you). Lie flat and face-down, protecting the back of your head with your arms.
• Avoid seeking shelter under bridges, which can accelerate the wind while offering little protection against flying debris.

In the open outdoors:

• If possible, seek shelter in a sturdy building.
• If not, lie flat and face-down on low ground, protecting the back of your head with your arms.
• Get as far away from trees and vehicles as you can; they may be blown on to your in a tornado.

In a shopping mall, large store or stadium:

• Listen for instructions from building security.  Watch for others.
• Move as quickly as possible to an interior bathroom, storage room or other small, enclosed area, away from windows.
• Move away from any glass.

In a church or theater:

• If possible, move quickly but orderly to an interior bathroom or hallway, away from windows.
• Crouch face-down and protect your head with your arms.
• If there is no time to do that, get under the seats or pews, protecting your head with your arms or hands.

Knowing what to do when a tornado is approaching can save lives.

Please take this opportunity to review your own and your family's emergency procedures and prepare for weather-related hazards during tornado drill day.