Tornado Safety

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With the horrible weather and disastrous tornadoes sweeping the South, Ohio has been getting some heavy rain and thunderstorms periodically. What would happen if you were in a building, outside or in your house and a tornado warning was issued in your area? Scary to think, but we need to know what to do in the event of a tornado. Here are some tips and protocols to follow if a tornado is in our area.

In a house with a basement: Avoid windows. Get in the basement and under some kind of sturdy protection (heavy table or work bench), 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 with no basement, a dorm, or an apartment: Avoid windows. Go to the lowest floor, small center room (like a bathroom or closet), under a stairwell, or in an interior hallway with no windows. Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands. A bath tub 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 fail.

Read more at SPC Tornado Safety