In addition to hurricanes and floods, tornadoes are some of nature’s greatest killers. Tornadoes can happen across the world, but most of those cyclones occur in the United States. In an average year, approximately eighty people are reported killed from tornadoes in the country alone. Especially for people living in the United States, these storms can happen at anytime each year, and it’s a good idea to prepare ahead of time to maintain safety from them.
You should understand the difference between a ‘tornado watch’ and a ‘tornado warning.’ A ‘tornado watch’ means that conditions are favorable for severe storms to produce circulation in them, eventually producing a short-lived tornado. You need to stay tuned to your local news media for further updates and keep an eye on the sky. A ‘tornado warning’ warns you that there has been a reported tornado in your area or there is almost certainty that a tornado will form. Therefore, you need to seek shelter and take cover immediately.
Long before a tornado hits, you need to pay attention to your local TV news channel for latest updates on the storm. Let your television stay tuned to a news channel that has up-to-date weather information, a weather radar, and a list of counties that are being warned in your region. If you have a radio handy, turn it on and tune to a station that periodically gives you the severe weather information.
Once a tornado is nearby, you may hear weather sirens blaring across your community. You need to obey those sirens by finding a safe, proper spot to take cover. A storm cellar or basement is the safest place to be during all tornadoes, large or small. If you can’t find a basement, go to the very first floor of a building. Go to a well-secluded hallway, crouch on your knees, and protect your neck by covering it with your hands. Or get under a large table and stay there under the tornado leaves. Be sure that you keep yourself away from windows.
If you are outdoors, there are still ways for you to stay safe against the tornado. If you are in an automobile, get out fast. Simply find a low, open ditch and lay flat on your stomach. Be sure that you cover your neck with your hands. Don’t consider taking shelter under a bridge or overpass during the tornado event, because the high winds can be strong enough to pull you away.
Taking cover during a tornado event is a must for anybody who is in the tornado’s path. If all the people in the world knew what to do to keep themselves safe from tornadoes, they can allow death tolls be as low as zero from such storms. After all, it pays to play it safe against all violent weather events.
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Source
Tornadoes….Nature’s Most Violent Storms
www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/safety/tornadoguide.html
