Tornado Safety: On the Road

The safest place from a tornado is ultimately at home in a central interior room with no windows or in your basement. While not ideal, there are times where you find yourself out and about during a tornado warning. These are some safety guidelines to keep in mind when you are on the road during one of these severe events.

Avoid staying in your car: Cars and other motor vehicles are the least desirable place to be during a tornado as they can easily be tossed around by strong winds. Absolutely do not try to outrun a tornado in your car and instead lie in a flat ditch or low point in the ground away from any trees and other vehicles. Make sure to also protect your head with your arms or some sort of object as well. Avoid staying under an overpass as this puts you at the greatest risk encountering tornadic winds and debris.

Avoid long-span buildings, such as a mall, movie theater or gymnasium, if possible: These buildings will simply collapse due to their only support being outside walls. If you find yourself stuck in one of these buildings, get to the lowest level of the building and away from any windows. The next best thing if that’s not possible is to get under a door frame, under heavy shelving or counters or under movie theater seats and always protect your head.

Smaller public buildings are your best bet when on the road: These include office buildings, schools, hospitals, churches and small stores. Treat these buildings like if you were at home. Move away from all windows and glass doors and go to a central interior part of the building on the lowest floor. Avoid elevators at all cost as the power may cut out, leaving you trapped. Remember, always protect your head and make yourself as small as possible by crouching down.

While being out in public during a severe weather event is not ideal, keeping these tips in mind will help you stay safe and save your life during a tornado outbreak.

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Source: weather.gov

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